Former Kaizer Chiefs goalkeeper William Shongwe has weighed in on the ongoing situation surrounding Itumeleng Khune at the Soweto giants.
The curtain closed on Khune’s playing career at Chiefs with the 2023/24 PSL season as his contract expired at the end of June 2024. The club officially announced that this marked the end of his playing days for Amakhosi.
Chiefs also confirmed that they have plans to transition Khune into a new role. He’ll be groomed as a goalkeeping coach and share his vast experience with goalkeepers at the club. Additionally, he’ll leverage his immense popularity to become an ambassador, working alongside the marketing department to further connect with fans and promote the Kaizer Chiefs brand.
Despite the club’s earlier announcement about his future, Khune’s path at Chiefs has been shrouded in uncertainty for some time. This stemmed from a few key events.
Firstly, Khune openly expressed his desire to continue playing, seemingly contradicting the club’s plans for his retirement. Further complicating matters, a November 2023 incident saw him suspended from all club activities and stripped of his captaincy after arriving at training under the influence of alcohol.
But Khune eventually made a return to the first team in March 2024, but the situation cast a shadow over his future with the club.
Adding to the uncertainty, FARPost reported on Thursday that Chiefs departed for their pre-season training camp in Turkey. Khune was conspicuously absent from the travelling squad at the OR Tambo International Airport. This latest development leaves more questions unanswered regarding his future with the club.
The Soweto giants are preparing for a new chapter under experienced Tunisian coach Nasreddine Nabi and his technical team.
WILLIAM SHONGWE ON ITUMELENG KHUNE’S SITUATION
Shongwe suggests that Khune missing out on the team’s pre-season speaks volumes that he’s no longer part of the the team’s plans. Therefore, if an opportunity comes from elsewhere, he should just grab it.
“I will say this again: if another opportunity presents itself, he should go. Now that he didn’t travel [with the squad to Turkey] it says a lot about his future at the club. That’s all I can say,” Shongwe told FARPost.
Since turning pro, Khune has only played for the Glamour Boys. All in all, the club’s longest-serving player has made a massive 347 appearances for the Chiefs. He conceded 274 goals and managed to keep 153 clean-sheets in the process.
In addition, ‘Itu’ has won 12 trophies with the team since 2004 after graduating from the development side to the first team. These are three DStv Premiership titles, four Telkom Knockout Cups, three MTN8 titles, and two Nedbank Cups.
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