Former Kaizer Chiefs coach Muhsin Ertugral is of the opinion that the club should have handled Itumeleng Khune’s situation better.
Khune was suspended for three months by Chiefs for breaking the club’s code of conduct, and he only returned to the team this year.
And being the club’s longest-serving member in the current squad, Ertugral believes Chiefs should have protected Khune more.
According to Ertugral, Chiefs shouldn’t have hanged their dirty laundry in public by announcing Khune’s suspension.
He further made mention of the likes of Jabu Mahlangu (Pule), Doctor Khumalo, Thabo Mooki and Cyril Nzama among others, saying it wasn’t easy handling them.
KAIZER CHIEFS SLAMMED FOR KHUNE’S SUSPENSION?
“It was sad for me to see. You don’t treat a player in that capacity [like that],” Ertugral told iDiski Times.
“In his most difficult times, he needs to have something to hold on to. And I couldn’t see that by Kaizer Chiefs.
“I mean, I can only say that now from the outside, I’m not involved, I don’t want to trigger negativity, but it could have helped him,” he added.
“It was a couple of years ago, the same story. And I’ve made it publicly, I remember that when I said publicly out, they should know there is only one Itu, there is no second Itu and there will never be a second Itu coming up in the next 50 years.”
“So, for Kaizer Chiefs at that time, if I was in charge, I’d always try to protect my players, and a couple of things don’t get out. You don’t need to put certain things out in the public. You [don’t] need to do that,” said Ertugral.
“I mean, do you think that Jabu Pule was easy? Do you think that Doctor Khumalo was easy? Do you think Thabo Mooki was easy? Do you think that Arthur Zwane and Cyril Nzama were always easy? But they’re unbelievable artists, unbelievable,” he concluded.
AMAKHOSI PLANNING FOR LIFE WITHOUT THE VETERAN ‘KEEPER
Meanwhile, Kaizer Chiefs are already preparing for life without Khune after they made it clear that this was his final contract with them.
However, it is unclear if Khune is ready for retirement after previously expressing his desire to play until he’s 40.
Khune has been with the first team since 2004, and he made his debut in 2007 under Ertugral who was then the Chiefs coach.
He went on to become a household name in South African football – both at club and national team level.
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