A strong message has been issued to the supporters about the recent developments in the matter between Kaizer Chiefs and Itumeleng Khune.
On Thursday, Chiefs issued a statement confirming that Khune has been "temporarily separated from the team until certain conditions have been fulfilled", following the conclusion of the club's disciplinary processes.
The decision came after the experienced goalkeeper was investigated following recent reports of his alleged misconduct.
"As a club that upholds the highest levels of professionalism, in which discipline forms a key component, Kaizer Chiefs initiated an internal investigation after certain incidents involving Khune came to our attention. The investigation was essential in ensuring the proper functioning and unity within our team. During his absence, Khune will be expected to attend and actively participate in certain programmes designed to support his personal growth and development, with support from the club. These programmes are specifically aimed at helping him address challenges and issues he is facing, while promoting a positive team culture," Chiefs said in a statement on the club's official website, in part.
Speaking exclusively to the Siya crew, Chiefs legend Lucky Stylianou said that while he fully supports the club's decision, he is against what has been done by some of the supporters and social media users who have been judging the legendary keeper.
The Good
"It's like in any corporate, they've got their code of conduct and all that. If a player doesn't comply with the code of conduct or is facing allegations of misconduct, obviously he is going to get suspended. We don't have the complete details of what happened and what we know is that there's been a disciplinary hearing involved. However, I fully agree with the club, and I support the decision. In saying this, I would still support the decision even if it was any other player and not just Mr. Khune. The matter was dealt with professionally by the club through the disciplinary committee and in all fairness to Mr. Khune, and in all fairness to Dr. (Kaizer) Motaung and the board, I am supporting the decision and I am stating that if you are a senior player or a Bafana Bafana player or captain of Chiefs, the onus is on you to monitor your behaviour and attitude. You've got to be a leader and that's what is expected," said Stylianou.
The Bad
"Having said that, I need to say that it is not for the public to blame the player. All of a sudden everybody wants to point fingers at Mr. Khune. Even if it was any other player, it would still not be a right thing to do. That's not the right way and the supporters must stay away from something like that, and that's my opinion. The club hasn't revealed what the issue is, it's just guesses and speculations from the public," he adds.
The Ugly
"You can't take somebody's history away from him. Khune was the captain of the national side and captain of Chiefs for over a decade and all that, and people must behave and let him serve his sentence. He's been given an opportunity to come back and he should be done with his sentence for that to happen," the legend said.
"The ball is in his backyard"
"If Khune comes back guns blazing, then that would be well and good. It's up to him now and the ball is in his backyard and not the club's. The club has made it clear that he needs to upgrade his behaviour and I'm fully supporting that. I'm not supporting what the people on social media are doing for attacking the player for his alleged bad behaviour. We are not sure of what happened, and all that has been spoken about is the personal issue and I don't think the public should form opinions around that. The club has acted, and the supporters must just stop with their negative comments," concluded Stylianou.
Do you agree with Chiefs' decision on Khune?
