Kaizer Chiefs touched down in Tanzania on Thursday just after midnight ahead of their pre-season friendly match against Young Africans.
The South African giants arrived in Dar es Salaam aboard a Fly Airlink flight and were welcomed by a small group of Yanga fans at the airport.
Kaizer Chiefs are using the friendly match to prepare for the upcoming season. The Soweto giants will be looking to improve on their disappointing 2022/23 PSL campaign, which saw them finish fifth in the league.
Young Africans are one of the most successful clubs in Tanzania, having won the league title 27 times. The Jangwani Boys will be looking to give Kaizer Chiefs a tough test ahead of their season.
Here’s what Kaizer Chiefs players said upon touching down at the Julius Nyerere International Airport.
Ranga Chivaviro
The last time Chivaviro was in Dar, he was a Marumo Gallants player and left such an impression. Yanga tried courting him to join them, but the 30-year-old settled for Amakhosi.
“It feels great to be here; I’m back again. The last time I was here, everyone welcomed me so well. It feels great to be in Tanzania. I’m not expecting anything less than another full stadium, enjoying being in Tanzania. I got excited [when the invite came] because I know people here love football,” said Chivaviro.
Itumeleng Khune
The Chiefs captain vowed they would not take the clash against Yanga lightly. “It’s not our first time in Tanzania we were here to play Simba, which is a big club, just like Yanga is a big club,” said Khune.
“We’re also preparing for a very long season. We’re a big club in SA with a large fan base. “Obviously, they are following the club wherever it goes, and right now, they were at the airport wishing us everything of the best.
“We know we can’t afford to disappoint our fans. We have to make sure we win the game. It will put us in a good position for the 2023/24 season.
“We’re preparing for the new season and won’t take this game lightly. We’re also preparing. Yanga is a big team that competed in the CAF Confederation Cup and went to the final.”
Kaizer Motaung Jnr
The Chiefs’ sporting director said they felt very honoured to receive the invite for the Yanga Day celebrations.
“We’re excited to have the opportunity to be part of the celebrations. We’re in a preparation phase, and our season will kick off in the next two or three weeks,” he said.
“It’s a massive test; we’re playing against a great quality side with a lot of great attacking players coming off a great season, having won a treble. So I think it’s a great test for us regarding where we are in our preparations.
“We’re just looking forward to a great game. There’s always pressure when you’re Young Africans or Kaizer Chiefs. Every game you play, you play to win. You are playing for millions of fans there really is no friendly.”
The friendly match will be played at the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar es Salaam on Saturday. Kick-off is at 18:00 [SA time].
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