Newly crowned and three-time Coca Cola Cup champions Kaizer Chiefs are still

celebrating their hard-fought and well deserved 1-0 win over long time hoodoo opposition

SuperSport United on Saturday night at the Vodacom Park stadium in Bloemfontein and the

Amakhosi camp is less worried about what they call “irresponsible utterances”

made by the losers' camp in post match interviews.

SuperSport Utd officials are blowing hot air following what they call

‘robbery’ when Kaizer Chiefs defender Cyril Nzama seemingly ‘handled’

the ball inside the box and a penalty was not awarded to them, they are also on record to

say they will lodge a complaint for the manner in which their chairman was handled by the

Amakhosi securities when he wanted to access the field without an accreditation card

during his team’s warm up. Speaking on Ikwekwezi FM on Monday, 20th December 2004,

Supersport United’s spin-doctor David Skhosana complained about, amongst many things,

Chiefs security for expelling him from a hotel where Kaizer Chiefs were camping.

In a response statement released on Monday, 20 December 2004, Kaizer Chiefs

communications manager, Putco Mafani said: “Firstly, SuperSport Utd should be

congratulated for reaching the finals of the Coke Cup earning themselves a million rand

while 14 other clubs in the PSL had failed to do so but their arrogance and lack of

professionalism in accepting the fact that we beat them fair and square leaves much to be

desired.

“Pitso (Mosimane) and David Skhosana must just shut up and accept the defeat, we

are aware that it is a pain for them to come to terms with it, for they thought they were

invincible. Pitso is a young South African Black coach who the nation admires but he is

letting a lot of people down with his antics.”

Mafani went further to say he was there at the time an ugly confrontation ensued in

front of spectators and media personnel at the stadium tunnel when Mosimane wanted to

bring his club chairman, Khulu Sibiya and “a whole lot of un-accredited people”

including what he called “inyangas” on the field.

He said: “It is appalling that at the time we are planning to organise bigger

events for the FIFA WC 2010, senior club officials will go against stipulated security

regulations and engage themselves in verbal and physical confrontation and abuse with

security personnel, this is the most disgusting experience of all. Clearly those people

had no business going on the field, particularly without proper accreditation as we

witnessed it with PSL CEO Trevor Phillips, COO Sizwe Nzimande and Professor Schloss.”

 Mafani said he

had complained to Trevor, about Skhosana’s behaviour of going around the field

“conducting his muti-rituals in front of our supporters and in the process inciting

them because if they had reacted in any way, we would have to be the ones to intervene and

restore sanity, and Trevor promised he would ‘deal with him’ and clearly these

people wanted to win at all costs even if it would compromise the PSL standards of

professionalism. After all, Pitso had no business clashing with security at a crucial time

when his charges needed him most during team warm and he, himself compromised the focus

needed for the game and lost it psychologically even before playing it. Every one saw that

even the fuss they and some newspapers made about the colour of our jerseys was not

justifiable”.

Commenting on his team’s third win of the Coca Cola Cup in four years, Amakhosi

chairman Kaizer Motaung said his players gave the club’s supporters the best

Christmas ever. “Our coaches and the players gave us one of the best years as we

round off the year 2004. This same year we won the Castle Premiership after a long spell

and competed well in three other knock out competitions and reached their finals while

other clubs could not but here we are now with the historic Coca-Cola Cup achievement and

I thank all involved in the writing of this chapter in our history. This milestone is

dedicated to our loyal supporters who travel from the length and breath of our country

whenever we play, regardless of the venue. It’s the people’s victory,” said

Motaung.

Motaung said he was disappointed with the fighting he witnessed prior to the game.

“I think some of us need to grow and own up to certain responsibilities but I will

leave the judgement with regard to those ugly scenes of that night to the PSL to make. It

is also rewarding that players like Scara Ngobese are proving some section of the media

wrong after they wrote him and other players off, calling them rejects,” he said.

Amakhosi take a Christmas break and will resume training on the 29th December as they

prepare for an important Castle Premiership clash with Santos at the FNB stadium on

January 5, 2005.

------------------------------------------End-------------------------------------

Issued by Kaizer Chiefs Communications department on Monday, 20 December 2004.


Putco Mafani – 082 991 0977