Chippa United head coach Vusumuzi Vilakazi has reacted to the surprising departure of goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali, which was confirmed by the club earlier this week.
The 29-year-old had not featured in Chippa United’s first two matches of the 2026 calendar year, with his last appearance for the club coming on 4 November last year against AmaZulu.
Nwabali later went on to represent Nigeria at the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), where he played a key role for the Super Eagles as they progressed to the semi-finals before being eliminated by hosts Morocco.
The club recently announced Nwabali’s exit, explaining that the goalkeeper was released after he “formally submitted a request to depart the club”.
Vilakazi admitted that losing a “super goalkeeper” of Nwabali’s quality is a significant blow for the team. However, the coach stated that the club will work with the players currently at their disposal and could explore the market for a replacement should the need arise.
“It is definitely a blow for us, looking at how Stanley did in Morocco,” said Vilakazi.
“He’s a super keeper, but obviously with his decisions and whatsoever, I’m not involved in that. It was a discussion between him and chairman.
“But they have agreed. I can only work with people who are in the system. But if there’s a need for us to look another goalkeeper so that the competition can be high, we will do so.”
Dumisani Msibi has been the man between the sticks for Chippa United while Nwabali was injured and during the first two matches of the year, when the Nigerian goalkeeper was unavailable.
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