Wandile Duba has addressed the mounting criticism Kaizer Chiefs players face on social media, offering a glimpse into how youngsters at the club deal with the intense online scrutiny.
Amakhosi and their coach, Nasreddine Nabi, have been heavily criticised by the supporters on social media due to their underwhelming performance this season.
The discontent has even manifested in audible boos directed at Chiefs players during matches, reflecting the fans’ frustration with the club’s lack of progress.
While fans demand immediate success, Nabi has emphasised that he is building a competitive team and requires the acquisition of more quality players. Chiefs have been blowing hot and cold with five wins, three draws, and five defeats in the Betway Premiership. They are 12 points behind leaders Mamelodi Sundowns.
The arrival of Nabi and his technical team had initially ignited renewed hope among Amakhosi supporters of ending their nine-year trophy drought. However, recent performances have dampened those expectations.
Chiefs have struggled to maintain a clean sheet, with a leaky defence and a low conversion rate hindering their progress. Nabi’s troops have conceded the second-highest number of goals in the league, with 16, surpassed only by Marumo Gallants [21].
WANDILE DUBA SAYS SOCIAL MEDIA CRITICISM TAKES A TOLL ON KAIZER CHIEFS PLAYERS
Chiefs striker Wandile Duba has admitted that the criticism directed at the team on social media can be deeply hurtful. Expressing his concern over the tone of some online comments, Duba pleaded with fans to understand that the players are human beings who strive to achieve positive results on the field.
The 20-year-old stated that the harsh words can have a significant emotional impact on young players such as Mduduzi Shabalala and Mfundo Vilakazi.
“We do chat as youngsters on the criticism we receive as a team because there are those people who criticize us,” said Duba. “They [fans] write all sorts of hurtful things, using hush words without thinking that we are also human beings.
“I don’t think there is any player who goes onto the field of play with the purpose of playing badly and intentionally make Chiefs lose games; all of us want to win and give our all.
“But the way we deal with the supporters’ criticism is that after a loss, we just uninstall Instagram so that we don’t see and get the criticism to protest ourselves. We just don’t go on social media.”
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