Cape Town — Clouds of uncertainty hang over the heads of Kaizer Chiefs as they prepare to resume action against CT City in a DStv Premiership fixture in Cape Town on Tuesday.
Chiefs are patiently waiting for the outcome of the arbitration that will decide if they could play the two matches they failed to honour because they were physically unable to do. The arbitration process has gone a step further with the appointment of the advocate, Nassir Cassim, as the arbiter.
The prospect of losing six points if the matches are not replayed is a daunting one since it effectively rules out Chiefs' chances of nailing down at least a runners-up slot in the Premiership. At this stage, Sundowns are well on track for yet another championship.
While most teams have had a focus on the Nedbank Cup, Chiefs will mark their 2022 debut in the Premiership instead. Chiefs will host TS Galaxy in the Nedbank Cup next Saturday.
One player raring to go is Chiefs central defender Njabulo Ngcobo who helped Warriors win the inaugural DStv Compact Cup this past weekend. Ngcobo was a star performer alongside his fellow Chiefs teammates Itumeleng Khune, Keagan Dolly and Njabulo Blom.
Ngcobo was motivated for the Compact Cup because of the overwhelming support from the fans who voted for him. He feels his two outings for the Warriors will help him restart the Premiership on a high note on Tuesday.
“I thank the supporters for voting for me, I am happy to see that they believed in me. The experience was good. Mixing with players from other teams helped me learn a lot,” says Ngcobo.
“Those two games were special for me. I have not played much as a defender this season, and it was important for me to play in that role again. I did well over the two games, and there is still room for improvement in my game.
Ngcobo said the chance of playing with players from other teams will benefit his game at club and national team level.
"In these kinds of situations, like when you at the national team, you learn from different players," said Ngcobo.
"Happy Jele (Orlando Pirates) was playing alongside me, and I took a lot from the experience," said Ngcobo.
"When you play with guys who have been around for a long time you try to learn as much as you can. I am happy to have given my best and gained from it.
While the Compact Cup was in progress, the rest of the Chiefs squad were in a midseason camp in Stellenbosch in the Western Cape. He said he stayed in touch with the squad during that time.
“I stayed connected with the guys. I spoke regularly to Thabani Dube and Siphosakhe Ntiya Ntiya," said Ngcobo.
"I feel the team will come back stronger and the camp was beneficial. From my discussions with the guys, it seems It allowed them to improve on various aspects. While I missed the camp, I am happy to join up with the team again."
Ngcobo his sights are now fully set on Chiefs’ first game of 2022, which he says will set the mood in the camp for next weekend's Cup game.
“The reason I am a Chiefs player is that I want to win for the team, which makes the Nedbank Cup very important for us," said Ngcobo, who also is the team's key utility player.
"Since we are coming into the tournament after a break, the camp would have also helped us to be competitive. Everyone is ready to play the way the guys are training, and you can see everyone is ready to compete.
“We know the importance of every game and we cannot detail just how important our round of 32 game against TS Galaxy is and we have to work hard to be successful."
IOL Sport