George Maluleka has opened up about his unpleasant exit from Kaizer Chiefs, explaining why he believes the club's fans are still "bitter" and use him as an excuse for the Soweto giants' failures.
The midfielder seemingly left a big section of the Chiefs' supporters with a bitter taste in their mouths when he penned a pre-contract with Mamelodi Sundowns in a middle of a title race between the two South African football powerhouses.
Maluleka, whose contract at Chiefs was set to expire at the end of that season said that he didn't betray the club's fans and cost them the league title, which Sundowns won on the last day of the campaign.
"I have too much respect for Kaizer Chiefs Football Club and will always take out the positives from my time there. I will always love Chiefs. If they had not given me the opportunities they gave me, I wouldn't be here," Maluleka told Soccer Laduma in the latest edition.
At Amakhosi, Maluleka was a mainstay in the heart of midfield and Ernst Middendorp who was the club's head coach at the time stated that the departure of Maluleka played a huge role in Chiefs losing their gap on the league title as they throw away a four-point lead, with Sundowns winning the league on the last day.
Maluleka featured 168 times for Chiefs, scoring 11 goals while assisting a further 24. He won a league title and an MTN trophy.
The midfielder added that leaving Chiefs was not entirely his decision as he wanted to stay at the club.
"Things don't always go according to plan. You win some, you lose some, and that's exactly what happened at Chiefs. I was able to win two trophies, enjoyed my time on the pitch. I'm working to provide for my family. I'm not playing football to stress myself (about) what fans are saying. They are very bitter. They want to see me hurting, little do they know they are building me up," added Mido.
"Even though Chiefs is traditionally known to be a club that wins trophies, when it wasn't happening, you want to say I'm at fault for all the trophies we lost? I wasn't playing alone. A lot of players left at Chiefs, but when I left, there was noise. Why? Maybe because I left for Sundowns or how everything happened?
"I don't want to say they are using me as an excuse, but perhaps they are. They don't know what happened in that office when I was sitting with Bobsteak (Bobby Motaung), hence I will never, ever allow the fans to dictate (to) me.
- His contract talks with Chiefs' Bobby Motaung, what really happened
- His next chapter at AmaZulu after Sundowns exit
- "Bitter" Chiefs fans
- Why he was shocked when Sundowns released him
-The fact that he didn't really want to leave Chiefs
