It’s a feel-good moment for Kaizer Chiefs supporters as both the senior and reserve teams are lighting up the local football scene.
With the first team having secured a spot in the Nedbank Cup final last weekend, there’s a renewed sense of belief in Naturena – and the club’s DStv Diski Challenge side is also riding that wave of momentum.
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Vela Khumalo, fresh from guiding South Africa’s U17 national team to historic qualification for the FIFA U17 World Cup, is now focused on steering the Amakhosi reserves to league glory.
The young Glamour Boys sit at the summit of the DDC standings with 61 points from 25 matches, just one point ahead of title rivals Stellenbosch FC, who have played a game more.
Khumalo, who has seamlessly balanced his national team duties with his role at Chiefs, believes winning the Diski Challenge this season would be a major statement for the club's future.
“Yeah, it has always been the plan,” Khumalo told the Siya crew in an exclusive interview. “We spoke about it to say that because we’re having a new coach now (at the senior level), let us not disturb him. Let’s give him time and space so that he can bring his footprint to the (first) team. We said 'let’s rather go for the league, because we aren’t promoting any players, and it looks good so far'. And I think it is in our hands and it’s for us to lose it,” he added.
Despite missing two matches due to national team commitments, Khumalo expressed satisfaction with the team’s consistency and mental strength.
“At the moment, we’re doing so well. I’m happy that even the two games that I was not there, we got four points out of it. I think we played SuperSport and won, and we drew with Stellenbosch. And I think my last game was when we beat Pirates in Bloemfontein,” he said.
The reserve side recently secured back-to-back victories, first defeating TS Galaxy before putting three past Richards Bay in a commanding 3-1 performance – results that have kept them firmly in the title race.
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With just a few matches to go, Chiefs’ DDC team are in pole position to clinch the league title and potentially cap off a golden season for the club’s development structures.
With confidence oozing from both the first team and the youth ranks, it’s safe to say – happy times may indeed be returning to Amakhosi.
