Former Kaizer Chiefs goalkeeper William Shongwe has shared his thoughts on Brandon Petersen’s behaviour.
In some of the DStv Premiership matches, the goalie was seen barking instructions to his teammates from the bench in the presence of coach Cavin Johnson. Petersen has faced a lot of criticism for undermining the authority of the coach.
In his defence, Petersen said he “always wants to help” his teammates. “I always want to encourage, that’s the main thing, no agenda, no nothing,” he said.
After losing 3-2 to rivals Orlando Pirates in March, Petersen was seen lashing out at Johnson at full-time. Johnson defended Petersen saying, “It’s normal, I want my players to react when we lose.”
Recently, Petersen was shown a red card from the bench after using offensive language to a match official in a 2-2 draw against TS Galaxy. Johnson again defended Petersen. “I can defend Brandon, I did not hear no, no, no foul language, I did not hear anything.”
Another Chiefs player who has been vocal on the bench is Dillan Solomons. He once explained his behaviour saying, “It’s football, it’s passion! There are players on the bench that want to give information. People are saying we think we are coaches but you’re trying to help.”
SHONGWE SAYS PETERSEN IS TRYING TO SHOW SUPPORT TO THE TEAM BUT HIS BEHAVIOUR IS MISINTERPRETED
Shongwe says Petersen’s behaviour is an effort to support the team. However, it has been misinterpreted and the end result wasn’t so good. That’s why he faced a lot of backlash for his actions.
“I think that was totally misinterpreted [Petersen’s behaviour],” Shongwe told FARPost. “Maybe in trying to help out the team, it didn’t look nice.
“We get players like that, that will get up and get involved. In this case it was like Brandon is taking over from the bench.
“I think it’s good, but he has to control it and minimise the actions. Every team needs a player that will be supporting and pushing the team for the best of the team.
“He wasn’t doing that for himself, it was for the best of the team. But it came out badly it didn’t look nice.”
The 29-year-old was the preferred man in between the sticks. However, following costly mistakes and errors that led to goals, he fell out of favour and was dropped.
In 11 matches in all competitions, Petersen conceded 10 goals and kept four cleansheets. His last match was back in October 2023 in a 2-1 defeat against Golden Arrows.
RELATED STORY: Khune makes bold claim about underfire Brandon Petersen
