Patrick Mabedi to run rule over Kaizer Chiefs trialists at Maize Cup

13 July 2018 - 12:13 By Marc Strydom
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Patrick Mabedi of Kaizer Chiefs during the Kaizer Chiefs media open day at Kaizer Chiefs Village on April 18, 2018 in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Patrick Mabedi of Kaizer Chiefs during the Kaizer Chiefs media open day at Kaizer Chiefs Village on April 18, 2018 in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Image: Sydney Seshibedi/Gallo Images

Kaizer Chiefs‚ still without a coach‚ can run the rule over a few players on trial at the club in the Bokone Bophirima Maize Cup at James Motlatsi Stadium in Orkney on Saturday.

The preseason tournament has traditionally been a staging ground for Amakhosi to begin to assimilate new signings into their potential season’s starting lineup‚ such as this year headline acquisition Khama Billiat from Mamelodi Sundowns.

Chiefs have also used the Maize Cup to look at a few trialists in a semi-competitive preseason environment.

Amakhosi communications manager Vina Maphosa said the club have been running the rule over a few trialists in their preseason camp in Potchefstroom‚ ahead of meeting ABC Motsepe League side Buya Msuthu in Saturday’s 10am Maize Cup semifinal.

“At the moment we are on camp in Potchefstroom. The camp is where we are doing our recipe‚ and doing our closed-door affair‚” Maphosa said.

“There are players coming in and out who we will not mention by name‚ because there are still trials.

“And if there is a player who makes it on those trials we will definitely announce that player.

“But as things stand we are in camp and the preparations are going well‚ except for the fact that we are still working on the coach.

“But we have got a full complement of a squad‚ injury-free and healthy and ready to go.”

Apart from Billiat‚ Chiefs might also finally be able to give a run to Kabelo Mahlasela in Orkney. The speedy forward was declared injured for the remainder of the 2017-18 season soon after being signed from Bloemfontein Celtic in January.

Amakhosi assistant-coach Patrick Mabedi‚ their caretaker-coach since Steve Komphela left as head coach in April‚ has been overseeing the Soweto giants’ preseason as they have laboured finding a suitable replacement to announce.

“The issue of the coach is a work in progress‚” Maphosa said.

“There was a stage it was about final‚ and then we faced challenges in the availability of those who we were targeting.

“We are at a stage where we need a suitably qualified coach who can hit the ground running when he gets to Chiefs.”

Free State Stars and Chippa United meet in the noon semifinal‚ with the final at 4pm.

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