Jomo Cosmos owner and Orlando Pirates legend, Jomo Sono has become the latest football voice in the local football fraternity to explain why the Premier Soccer League needs a strong Kaizer Chiefs.
During his heyday, Sono battled Bucs’ Soweto rivals on the regular, with both clubs dominating silverware in the 1970s and 80s.
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However, both have fallen off the pace with Mamelodi Sundowns, especially in the league, where Masadawana have lifted seven titles in a row.
And while Pirates have returned to adding silverware under Jose Riveiro, they still remained somewhat short in the league, with Amakhosi being a shadow of their glory days, completing their ninth successive season without silverware and finishing in a disappointing 10th spot – a new low for the Amkhosi.
However, Sono insisted Chiefs need to get back up and into cup finals to get the whole country buzzing again.
“It’s important to have a Kaizer Chiefs, and a Pirates, a Sundowns and a Jomo Cosmos back in the Premier League. It’s good for the league,” he told journalists when asked why the PSL needs a strong Chiefs.
“It keeps the image of the league up there. Let us be honest, if Pirates didn’t get to the final, the Top 8 wouldn’t be so [attractive].
“The team that is making the Top 8 to click, is Pirates and they are playing well at the moment. Sundowns were knocked out, it’s Pirates and Stellenbosch in the final. Yes, they [Stellies] deserve to be there.
“But can you imagine if it was Pirates and Chiefs in the final? The whole country would be buzzing. At the moment a quarter of the country is buzzing.
“It’s all Pirates, Pirates, Pirates…”
Sono also explained that it’s not easy to sign for SA’s top clubs, including Chiefs, because the players are under immediate pressure and scrutiny.
“You know when Pirates, Chiefs, Sundowns? To sign for those teams, you need a character of a player,” he added.
“You don’t just take a player who was not even playing in his team and think you’ll put him there [and he’ll shine].
“Because firstly, they have the biggest following in the country. You can imagine, you are new, you make one mistake and then they start shouting at you. You just lose confidence.
“We just hope those are right players for whatever these teams are signing, it has to be the right player for the team.”
