Magesi FC captain Elvis Chipezeze has acknowledged his reputation for tactical fouling, a strategy often employed to disrupt the opposition’s momentum and allow his team to regroup.

Chipezeze has been notoriously known to fake injuries and he was in the past heavily criticized by former Mamelodi Sundowns coach Pitso Mosimane for what appeared to be a killing time tactic by falling on the floor several times like he had been shot by clutching some part of his body.   

The 34-year-old appeared, as part of the game dynamics, to have not lost an inch of that and did it a couple of times to go down as Magesi stunned Sundowns in the Carling Knockout Cup final at Toyota Stadium on Saturday.   

It is part of killing the momentum from oppositions to allow his coach to call his players on the side for a quick chat to align themselves in what the game requires at that time.  

While some critics have accused him of excessive simulation, Chipezeze’s ability to influence matches through tactical fouling has become somewhat of a trademark, often leading to humorous banter among fans and pundits. He embraces this reputation. “I knew this question was going to come,” replied Chipezeze, leaving the media at the press conference laughing. 

“But you can see also, if you check the games that we have played, it’s not like in 2018 when I was still not matured enough. But now you can see when there is a contact (I don’t go down all the time). But if there was contact then, I had to go down and that’s how it is.  

“Now I’m changed and you can also see for yourself and I like it a lot. Every time ‘This is Chipezeze moment’ and it is nice because it has become a football banter. At the end of the day, if it makes the fans happy, (I’m fine with it). We will just continue doing our jobs.”  

The Magesi captain has further enhanced his legacy by winning his second Carling Knockout Cup title, this time with Magesi FC. His previous triumph came with Baroka FC in 2018/19, where he was named Player of the Tournament when the competition was known as the Telkom Knockout.

When asked to compare the two victories, Chipezeze expressed his gratitude for both experiences. He highlighted the challenges faced by both teams and praised the hard work and dedication of his teammates. “All of them are very important,” replied Chipezeze. 

“I remember when I came to Baroka, we were also trying to push for silverware in the Premier League and we managed to do that.  

“The run from that year up until the final, it was something else. I remember we played Golden Arrows, Sundowns, Bidvest Wits and Orlando Pirates. 

“It is also the same now – at first, we beat Pirates, TS Galaxy and Richards Bay. All the competitions in the final are very important because no one really gave us a chance.  

“This is due to hard work and credit must also go to the boys for working hard.”