Matching CAF president Patrice Motsepe’s optimism about Kaizer Chiefs’ return to continental football, Ashley Du Preez has made a bold declaration, asserting that Amakhosi are the ‘biggest club in Africa.’
Chiefs are set to return to continental football for the first time since their remarkable 2020/21 CAF Champions League campaign, where they reached the final. Their participation in the 2025/26 CAF Confederation Cup was secured by virtue of reaching the Nedbank Cup final.
This is contingent on Orlando Pirates finishing in the top two of the Betway Premiership, a likely outcome that would see them occupy one of the two Champions League slots, a situation acknowledged by Motsepe.
The Buccaneers are locked in a two-horse race for the league title with defending champions Mamelodi Sundowns.
On the other hand, Chiefs booked their Nedbank Cup final spot after defeating Sundowns in the semis and will take on rivals Pirates on May 10th at the iconic Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban, aiming to end their nine-year trophy drought.
At a recent event in Sandton announcing CAF’s renewed partnership with Africa Global Logistics [AGL] for their major competitions, CAF boss Motsepe stressed just how important a strong Chiefs is for the health of SA football. He also took the opportunity to commend Amakhosi’s leadership for their unwavering dedication and commitment amidst the team’s ongoing struggles.
DU PREEZ REACTS TO MOTSEPE’S REMARKS ON CHIEFS’ CAF FOOTBALL RETURN
Amidst the impressive continental campaigns of Pirates and Sundowns in the Champions League, and Stellenbosch FC in the Confederation Cup, Ashley Du Preez conveyed Chiefs’ ambition to complete a strong South African presence on the African stage.
He reinforced CAF president Motsepe’s view that Chiefs’ participation at the highest level would greatly benefit both SA and African football, confidently declaring Amakhosi as “the biggest club in Africa”.
“You know, we are the biggest team in Africa, so every team would like to face Kaizer Chiefs,” stated Du Preez before the Soweto giants’ training session at the Kaizer Chiefs Village on Thursday morning.
Nasreddine Nabi’s men are gearing up for their Saturday afternoon league clash against Marumo Gallants at FNB Stadium.
“And we want to compete on the highest level with Stellenbosch, Pirates and Sundowns, who have been there and are doing great in the competition [CAF inter-club].
“So I think people would love to see Chiefs also on that stage. So any team would like to play against Chiefs, and the fans would be so happy for us to be in that competition [Confed Cup], and football in Africa would be so much better.”
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