AmaZulu FC have revealed the new captaincy group following the exit of Veli Mothwa and two other senior players who used to wear the armband.
Bafana Bafana goalkeeper Veli Mothwa departed the club at the end of last season, ending a five-year stint that began when he joined from Chippa United in November 2020.
He had been appointed captain of the club after Makhehlene Makhaula’s departure. The midfielder, who was the skipper of Usuthu, left to join Orlando Pirates in the middle of the 2022/23 season.
The two defenders, Ramahlwe Mphahlele and Mbongeni Gumede, who used to captain the team when Mothwa was not around, were also among more than 15 players who departed the club in June.
AmaZulu have now appointed the Namibian international, Riaan Hanamub, as the new captain. The club’s head coach, Arthur Zwane, revealed that Bongani Zungu, Ben Motshwari, Taariq Fielies and Pule Ekstein are part of the captaincy.
ZWANE CONFIRMS NEW CAPTAINS FOR AMAZULU
“Everyone is a leader in this team. When I got here, Hana [Hanamub] was one of those players who have been here leading with actions,” said Zwane during Usuthu media open day on Wednesday.
“He’s one of the players who are always here early [for training]. Apart from that, his professionalism is at a different level. He’s leading by example in a lot of things.
“It could have been Bongani, Ben, Taariq, Ofori, or Pule as well because of the experience they have. But they deserve it all of them, they are all captains, the players I just mentioned.
“When Hanamub is not available, it can be Bongani; if Bongani is not here, it can be Taariq; if he’s not there, it can be Ofori. It’s just the armband, it makes no difference.”
The 30-year-old defender, Hanamub, was leading AmaZUlu when they lost 3-2 at the hands of Stellenbosch FC in the MTN8 quarter-final in Cape Town on Sunday.
He has been with the KZN side for the past three seasons, having joined the club at the beginning of the 2022/23 season from Chippa United.
During his stay at AmaZulu, Hanamub has racked up 95 appearances so far. He has scored one goal in the process, while also providing 10 assists in the process.
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