No ‘hard feelings’ between Chiefs, Parker as future plans revealed

The 36-year-old Parker is one of the greatest players to have ever laced up his boots for Kaizer Chiefs, having made over 300 appearances and winning several titles along the way, while he is said to have “set himself up to stay involved in the game” by going into coaching when he retires.

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Parker is set to start working towards his coaching badges, and is expected to one day move into the coaching ranks at Amakhosi. Last Friday, Chiefs confirmed they would not renew Parker’s contract when it expires at the end of June 2022, but there has been talk that he will instead be offered a position within the club’s staff as he holds several qualifications in sports management and marketing.

“Parker, a bona fide Kaizer Chiefs legend, will leave the club he has served with distinction for 11 years,” a statement read on Friday.

“He joined Chiefs in 2011 from the Eredivisie side, FC Twente and his glittering career saw him play 359 matches for Amakhosi and found the net 62 times.

“His exceptional talent and leadership helped Amakhosi to win four major trophies, including two league titles. His professionalism, both on and off the field, is an object example to any aspiring young footballer,” another statement read. 

“Thank you for your great service and dedication to the Club, ‘Hond’. You remain a true legend.”

His agent Mike Makaab has now spoken about the fact that it started to become clear in recent weeks that Chiefs wouldn’t be renewing Parker’s contract.

“I’ve met with Bernard and we had a long discussion. The good thing with Bernard is that he’s a sensible person, he’s a wonderful professional and he’s a true gentleman and there are no hard feelings,” Makaab commented when speaking on Gagasi FM.

“He’s had a wonderful 11 years at Chiefs, he’s won trophies, including back-to-back Premier League titles, captained one of the biggest clubs on the continent and proudly so.

“He’s played for the jersey and for the badge, he is in love with Kaizer Chiefs, he loves the football club. We’ve had a lot of discussions, Bernard would deeply love to stay involved with the club in some capacity,”

“Ultimately he wants to do his coaching licenses and eventually get to the top license that you can get, which is the UEFA Pro license and we are busy embarking on that.

“But we also have a number of projects that we’re discussing with Bernard. He’s looked after his investments, he’s looked after his life. We’ve been preparing for this moment for a long time now.

“He’s got qualifications in sports psychology and sports management and Bernard is well set up for the rest of his life.”

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Parker is likely to coach Chiefs in the future

Kaizer Chiefs interim coach Arthur Zwane has already recently suggested that if Parker “went into coaching tomorrow” he would be a success.

“I talk to each and every player and Bernard knows he won’t play football forever,” Zwane said.

“He has hinted that he wants to take up coaching and I would advise him to apply for coaching courses. There are opportunities left, right and centre.

“I told him that he can go to Ireland as well. That’s where I got my coaching license and he can also get help from SAFA and I think CAF will now allow the coaches because the situation with Covid is getting better.

“We will try and help Bernard. If he wants to do coaching, we will most definitely help him. We need more people who are influential, people who can lead by example.

“He’s never been a troublesome player, he’s always been disciplined. If he becomes a coach tomorrow, he will be a good leader.”

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