Despite Kaizer Chiefs pleas in a most recent Press Release regarding the doping saga involving one of the club’s players; that because the subject is in the hands of the SAFA DC and therefore sub-judice; that people must abstain from making conclusive statements that might prejudice the player in question, certain sectors of the media including, Sipho Mthembu of the Sowetan has seen it fit to pre-judge the case.

Barely a month ago the Sowetan was forced to publish a public apology for incorrect reporting, because its senior soccer writer Mthembu had embarrassed his own paper by publishing on the front cover a false story about Coca Cola taking over the sponsorship of Kaizer Chiefs. He has, now published in his column of the Sowetan dated January 8, 2004 another of his cheap onslaught attempts at the club by concluding and pre-judging a case still to be heard.

The club carefully follows traces of this unfortunate attack by a journalist who suspiciously appeared not be sober at work during the post match press conference held at the Soccer City during the clash between Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates.

Doctor Phil Maepa, medical expert at Kaizer Chiefs was visibly shocked with the article: "Clearly the author of the article has shown very limited and scanty knowledge and understanding of the substance in question found allegedly in the player’s urine sample. He does not even seem to have a clue of the bio mechanisms around this substance.

"For his information in this article, he infers or rather implies that the club, the club doctor and the player had reasons to take the substance and knew as much. His ignorance of reasons why substances are banned or prohibited comes out very clearly in the article but ironically, he particularly shows an in-depth desire and insight into what he expects to be punishment meted out to an already tried and found-guilty-player, according to him. What has he to gain in this matter?

"We can only hope and trust that the SAFA DC will not stoop that low as to be pushed into decisions by such clearly agenda driven reporters and will look genuinely into all aspects of the case. This in fact is a trial by the media and in particular by this reporter and one wonders whose torch he is carrying and whose battle he is fighting,” said a fuming Dr Maepa.

Mthembu is pre-empting the outcome of the hearing still to be heard, in concluding and pre-judging openly the details of the case. He has knowledge of what happened so far as he even alludes to the return of the same result on B Sample analysis. He is privy to such confidential information. This further confirms and reinforces the club’s concerns regarding the confidentiality of the case details on the part of Safa.

Regarding what Mthembu says about what he interprets as Putco Mafani's incitements or orders to have him killed, the club takes that very seriously and is seeking legal advice. This happened after Mthembu had stupidly published a false sponsorship story involving Coca-Cola. Mafani told supporters at the Santos match in December that Sipho Mthembu’s story was nonsense and had potential to put the club into disrepute with its sponsors and should therefore be ignored as a false report miscalculated to confuse supporters and derail the club’s winning rhythm and that the author had definitely not learnt from the revelations of the Hefer Commission, whose conclusion was that a journalist was a disgrace to his profession and to his colleagues.

The club reiterates its call to have this matter left to the Safa DC to conclude without unwarranted and ill-informed reporting culminating from certain club favoritism and bias diarrhea affecting soccer reporting. By the way Mafani is not Kaizer Chiefs Marketing Manager but Communications & PR Manager and Mthembu knows that.