On Thursday afternoon, a group of Amakhosi royalty met at the Kaizer Chiefs village to welcome some of the club’s former alumni who had served the team since its foundation in the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, and early 2000s.
The class of the 35 club veterans who had assembled at Naturena, including club giants like Absalom “Scara” Thindwa, Nelson “Teenage” Dladla, Jan “Malombo” Lechaba, Marks Maponyane, and Doctor Khumalo, astounded the grinning Kaizer Chiefs Chairman, Kaizer Motaung.
The club’s visit to KwaZulu-Natal at the end of August for an event to honor former club director and stalwart Mr. China Ngema in his hometown of Nongoma were among the issues the legends had gathered to discuss.
Former Chiefs player Jerry Sadike passed away last week and will be laid to rest on Friday. The legends also spoke about the funeral arrangements for Mr. Sadike and the club’s visit to KwaZulu-Natal.
I must shake hands with everyone because I can’t believe who has shown here today.
From the beginning, these players were a crucial part of our history.
We want to continue bringing them together as frequently as we can because we value their efforts.
The Kaizer Chiefs Chairman stated, “We want to use them to help develop our young players and the existing first team.
The club has started a process of embracing its legacy, and Chiefs’ previous players have been instrumental in assisting the club in appreciating its history and contribution to South African society, according to the club’s marketing director, Jessica Motaung.
“A four-person crew from the club works on legacy projects.
The legacy of the club is influenced by our history in a number of ways, and working with our icons on various projects is a key part of our heritage as a family, not simply a football club, added Motaung.
The Chiefs Marketing Director stated that the team was collaborating with international partners and studying the top clubs in the globe to build a structure for efficiently interacting with its former players.
“We want a comprehensive, all-engaging program with our legends.
In this regard, we have been collaborating with a few overseas clubs and learning from them.
The journey ahead with our legends is thrilling, and we have a notion of how to do that,” added Motaung.
Lucky Stylianou, one of the first white players to play for Chiefs in 1978, spoke for the 1970s Chiefs players when he said, “The legends and past players are an integral part of the path of this club and are role models.
It is crucial that everyone has come together today since they are an important part of the community.
Social development during the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s was facilitated by the leadership of figures like Chairman Kaizer Motaung.
Past Chiefs striker Maponyane expressed his happiness at being a part of a process that will increase the club’s interaction with its former players.
“Legends can aid current players in understanding the value of the club.
They assume you are talking about nonexistent persons when you describe how things used to be and if they don’t hear from those who played for the club.
This is a significant occasion, and it is essential that we get together at times like this to share stories and have fun, stated Maponyane in his upbeat normal manner.
“I hope and trust that this is not the last time we meet,” the great Jan Malombo Lechaba said in response.
We would like to support the team’s future endeavors and inspire the players to achieve victory.
The former Chiefs goalkeeper Brian “Spiderman” Baloyi, who spoke on behalf of the current Chiefs players, was given the opportunity to make the final statement.
He said, “There is a lot we want to contribute to this club.
This club is fantastic. We want to be a member of the club because some of us played for a very long period there.
We treasure this opportunity to play with such famous athletes.
Amakhosi’s galaxy of stars reunite at Naturena originally appeared on Kaizer Chiefs.