Posted in News on Dec 22, 2006.
While the playing and technical staff had to wait a few more hours before being able to begin what will be the shortest mid-season break in the eleven seasons of the PSL, as they had the small job of playing an important PSL match against Santos in Tshwane on the same evening.
During the 2005 – 2006 season the mid year PSL break was two months long, due to the 2006 Africa Cup Of Nations, which took place during January and February of this year. The break during the 2005 – 2006 season began for Chiefs on the 22nd December 2005 and saw The Amakhosi next in action on the 18th February 2006; this time around the break is a total of fourteen days.
Chiefs coach Ernst Middendorp has no problem with giving his players time off during the festive period, and says it is unfortunate that they will have to be back at training before the year is out. “In some countries matches are played throughout Christmas Day and Boxing Day. I understand that this time of the year is a special one for South Africans, as people like to be together. Therefore our players are off from the 21st December and will return to training on the 29th December,” added the Chiefs coach.
The Amakhosi’s five game programme in January means that the players will return to training before the month is out “we have spoken to the guys and we came to an understanding that we will return to training on the 29th December.
January sees us playing five games, and we need the only time we will have to prepare for these games will be a few days after Christmas. So we will come back and begin our preparations, although the players will have New Years Day off to get their batteries charged up again,” said Ernst.
While the Chiefs players and technical staff will be back on the 29th December administrative staff at the Kaizer Chiefs Village will return to work on the 4th January, in preparation for Chiefs game against SuperSport United on the 6th January.
