Itumeleng Khune of Kaizer Chiefs. Photo: @KaizerChiefs/Twitter
When will Khune be back for Kaizer Chiefs?
Kaizer Chiefs are soon expected to welcome Itumeleng Khune back into team consideration despite his recent off-field misdemeanours.
Itumeleng Khune of Kaizer Chiefs. Photo: @KaizerChiefs/Twitter
Towards the end of last year, Kaizer Chiefs issued a statement on Itumeleng Khune after he was suspended for misconduct after arriving at training under the influence of alcohol.
Yet, the club have made it clear that they will seek to support the veteran keeper despite his misdemeanours.
It’s believed that he will be welcomed back to the club after the current Afcon break, and from February onwards he should be available for selection, although Bruce Bvuma is firmly entrenched as the No 1 keeper.
“The team will be back to training sometime in January to start preparing for the resumption of the league in February. So, yes, Khune will also be back after serving his suspension,” a source told The Citizen. “What happened was not good for him and the club, that’s why they (Chiefs management) decided to suspend him. It was part of sending a strong message to everyone in the squad to know that such things won’t be tolerated,” said the source.
Khune still has support at Chiefs
The club evidently won’t just discard such a long-serving player.
“Khune has been a part of this club for many years, I mean I’ve seen him grow, he’s like a younger brother. But also, he’s contributed immensely to Kaizer Chiefs, he’s been a captain for many years and contributed to the national team,” marketing director Jessica Motaung stated last year.
“And it’s very important that, even when someone makes a mistake, you find time and the opportunity to sit down and address those issues, and while there is discipline, you also find a way to help someone deal with things.
“That, for me, is very important in this process, we’ve talked extensively and I even called him this morning – it’s a tough journey, but I see a young man who’s willing to do the work and we’re here with him.
“But certainly, the message is also, you need to be disciplined, you need to do the work properly and you need to understand that we’re part of a team in which accountability and leadership must be done with integrity.”
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Coach backing the stalwart
Kaizer Chiefs coach Cavin Johnson also threw his support behind Khune.
“None us are perfect, that is something that we all have to know. Whatever happens to some of our players, especially (off the pitch) after they play, we are all not perfect. Things like this happen.
“We are just grateful that we work for an organisation like Kaizer Chiefs, and they are able to say: we will help you. That is what I am grateful for, that the club’s statement said: ‘We are going to help you.’ I have told you this before, this club is run by a man who should be walking among presidents.”
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