Downs won’t be easy - Zwane
Downs won’t be easy - Zwane

Posted in News on Mar 19, 2004.

Suspended Kaizer Chiefs winger Arthur Zwane believes the upcoming Castle Premiership clash between the Glamour Boys and Sundowns at Odi Stadium on Sunday will be a closely contested affair.

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"We hammered them the last time, they will probably be aiming for revenge. It’s obviously going to be a tough one but I believe we will be ready for them," he says.

Sundowns have some great individuals in their team like Simba Marumo and Shakes Ngwenya but Zwane does not see the threat in any of them. “They have good players, just like us but I do not see them giving us any problems,” he says.

King Arthur says he was impressed with the fighting spirit displayed by Amakhosi in their 0-0 draw against Ajax Cape Town during the week. "As far as I was concerned it was not a bad result," he says. "The guys tried their best and created good scoring opportunities but unfortunately could not find the back of the net."

Chiefs are still second on the log with 41 points from 18 games. Santos are at the summit but have played six games more than Chiefs. “We have a good chance and we can still make amends for the draw against Ajax,” he says.

Zwane was sitting in the stands when Amakhosi easily accounted for their opposition in the first round of the Absa Cup. He will still be sitting on the stands following a six months ban after he tested positive for methyl-testosterone. He was initially handed a harsh two-year ban but after a successful appeal, the sentence was reduced.

"I wouldn’t want to talk much about that sentence," he says. “People may think I am happy and relived after the reduction of the sentence but I am not. They (Safa appeal) said it was six months but when you look at it it’s nine months because I last played in November. That is the one thing I am not happy about.”

These days Zwane spends most of his spare time coaching young kids in Soweto, where he has a club - Meadowlands Galatasaray. “A lot of these youngsters have talent and the potential to make it in the big leagues,” he says. "They only need proper guidance and some encouragement. Playing football also keeps them away from mischief."

The team is now playing in the promotion league and are currently top of the log. This little distraction will help Zwane not feel the severity of his own banishment from active football for the next five months.

Sundowns go into this match without big Ivorian Siaka Tiene through suspension. Tiene has been a major force for them over the last few months and his absence will be strongly felt by the Brazilians.

Chiefs seem to have a mental advantage over the Brazilians. When they last met in February, it was Amakhosi who came out tops, and they will likely do the same in this match to keep on track for the league title. Chiefs need to stay winning, but as they have a few matches in hand over Ajax, they can afford to drop a point in this match.

With Tienie out, the goal scoring responsibilities will fall on the shoulders of the big Zambian Rotson Kilambe. But the Chiefs defence has been tight so far, and Kilambe will have to be at his best to get something out of this clash.

Midfielder Jabulani Mendu has mostly been used as a substitute recently. But each time he has been called on, Amakhosi seemed to move up a gear and he is definitely the form player for Chiefs at the moment.

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