Khoza comes to Kaizer's defense as Chiefs take a beating in the court of public opinion

Premier Soccer League (PSL) chairman Irvin Khoza came to the defense of Kaizer Chiefs and said contrary to popular belief‚ the glamour Naturena club does take the African Champions League seriously.

Chiefs have over the years often faced accusations of harbouring a lacklustre attitude towards the Confederation of African Football (Caf) competition. But Khoza said nothing could be further from the truth.

‘‘Chiefs actually take this tournament very seriously‚” Khoza said.

‘‘I know that (Chiefs chairman) Kaizer (Motaung) has always spent money to charter flights (for his players) and this comes to millions of rands.

‘‘Those kinds of trips (to various destinations on the continent) are not sponsored. It is not easy on the continent. It is very‚ very (difficult).”

Khoza said South African teams have to be resilient and need to adapt quickly to conditions on the continent‚ or they will not get very far in Caf competitions.

‘‘Sundowns have shown everybody that you can earn respect if you win the Champions League.”

Khoza‚ who is also Orlando Pirates chairman‚ said watching Sundowns owner Patrice Motsepe clutching the Champions League trophy amid wild celebration at OR Tambo International Airport when the Brazilians returned to SA on Wednesday morning was an emotional moment for him.

He said the scenes turned back the clock to 21 years ago when Pirates returned to SA after winning the selfsame silverware.

“It is emotional on two reasons‚ in 1995 Patrice Motsepe’s father held this trophy high when (Orlando) Pirates came back from Ivory Coast (after winning it).

‘‘Today (Augustine) Motsepe's son is holding this trophy high 21 years later.

‘‘For me it is very important because this achievement of Mamelodi Sundowns has restored the integrity and confidence in the Premier Soccer League as a top league on the continent.

‘‘I hope this will be a motivating influence to all the teams that one day we will see two PSL teams in the final of the Champions League.”

- TMG Digital