Former Chiefs star: I should never have left the club!

Bongani Ndulula, who is still just 33 years old, is one of the forgotten men of South African football. Between 2014 and 2015, he featured in 10 games for Bafana Bafana, while also joining Kaizer Chiefs during this time.

The move to Amakhosi came after stints with Pirates and AmaZulu, but he eventually left Chiefs in search of more game-time with Chippa United. However, his career has largely imploded since then.

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Following his departure from Chippa United in 2017, Ndulula has been unable to find a club, and although he hasn’t officially retired, it does appear that his career is effectively over.

Speaking on the Sport Night Amplified talk show, the once highly-regarded former Chiefs player opened up about leaving the club.

“At Chiefs, I played six to seven games,” Ndulula said when chatting Andile Ncube, as quoted by FARPost. “Every time I would get an opportunity to play, I would get injured. There weren’t teams lining up for me when I was at Chiefs.

“I just asked the team to release me because I thought I’ll get more game time elsewhere. In hindsight, I should have stayed at Chiefs and fought for my position instead of going to Chippa. I never ever made the squad of 18 at Chippa the entire time I was there. I don’t know why I never got to play.

“But I remember reading in the papers that I’ve gained weight. Surprisingly, no one ever had that discussion with me. It was hurtful that Chippa thought I gained weight.”

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The former Chiefs star has been in the football wilderness since leaving Chippa

Ndulula also spoke about his struggles to find another club, although he has insisted that he has not retired.

“After leaving Chippa, I went to trials at Mbombela United in the second division. A few days later I was told that the trials were over and it didn’t work out. I even went in trials at Polokwane City Rovers. I gave 100% at the trials and I respected their process. After a week I was told there was no need for me to come back, I asked no questions and left.”

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