Andile Jali. Image: Twitter
Andile Jali to Kaizer Chiefs? Official answer provided!
Andile Jali may be heading away from Mamelodi Sundowns, but his destination will not be Kaizer Chiefs. That much we know.
Andile Jali. Image: Twitter
*Note: this is an updated article on Andile Jali
For quite some time, there have been whispers and rumours surrounding the future of Andile Jali at Mamelodi Sundowns, but most recently it’s become an open secret that he will be leaving the club.
Earlier this year it was even sensationally reported that Chiefs were about to open talks with Jali, but that quietened down in the wake of reports that the 33-year-old has been guilty of ill-discipline as he seemingly grew increasingly frustrated at the club.
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Kaizer Chiefs sporting director Kaizer Motaung Jr has now emphatically revealed that the club was never pursuing this signing.
Jali is a great player and he was a player we were interested in when he came back from Europe (in 2018) but the linking part now is where the confusion is,” Motaung Jr. told Radio 2000.
“In football, things happen and at the time, he went to Sundowns and that’s now history.”
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After more than 100 games at the club, Jali is not expected to feature for Sundowns again, and it remains to be seen whether a local or overseas club could look to secure his services.
According to popular online platform Unplayable, there is now confirmation that Jali’s time at the club will conclude when his contract concludes at the end of June.
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Earlier this week, the veteran aready suggested that he’s headed to an unknown destination in a cryptic post that caught the attention of eagle-eyed followers.
Taking to Instagram this week, he posted an image of his boarding pass out of Johannesburg. Although the destination was cryptically blurred out under the caption “I’m out”, it’s thought that the flight was heading to Durban.
There was no word on what the trip could be for, but followers will certainly be wondering if this could be an indication of his next career move.
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Jali is expected to have a few options to consider in the near future
In terms of a timeline, it seems that the month of May is when negotiations for Jali’s next opportunity will begin to escalate.
“That has to happen sooner than later,” Makaab commented. “I am confident that it’ll happen within the next week, or maximum two, so that during the month of May, we will be in a position to start seriously engaging clubs regarding his services for the next season.”
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