AmaZulu coach Pablo Franco Martin has explained his decision to bench first-choice goalkeeper Veli Mothwa during their second Betway Premiership loss against Kaizer Chiefs at Moses Mabhida Stadium on Wednesday.

Following a shaky start to the season, highlighted by two critical goalkeeping blunders at both the national and club level, Mothwa was replaced by AmaZulu’s second-choice goalkeeper, Olwethu Mzimela, for the encounter against Amakhosi.

Despite the switch, AmaZulu conceded three goals within the first 25 minutes of the match. While none of the goals could be directly blamed on Mzimela, it was a game he would likely want to put behind him.

When questioned about Mothwa’s absence, Martin avoided discussing his first-choice keeper, instead choosing to highlight the importance of giving all players in the squad opportunities to play, stressing their commitment during training.

“Because of [how we] we play today? He asked.

“He (Mzimela) is a player who is part of our squad because he is sharing a position with Veli (Mothwa) because he already played for us many games last season. We have a responsibility to play all players we have in the squad, they are all working hard, they are pushing, and they deserve to have opportunities.”

While resting Mothwa seemed like a sound strategy following his recent struggles, the fact that Mzimela conceded three goals raised further questions. The pressure may now shift to the second-choice goalkeeper as the team navigates a challenging start to the season.

But they are close to welcoming Richard Ofori who has been training with the club for a few days now to solve their goalkeeping woes. Ofori is not affected by any PSL transfer window and Usuthu can sign anytime since he was released by Orlando Pirates in July after his contract expired. 

Usuthu next visits the bottom side – Marumo Gallants, who just like them have lost both matches of the league, at Toyota Stadium on Saturday (20:00).