Kaizer Chiefs Marketing Director Jessica Motaung says they have high hopes that they can put the disappointments of 2020 behind them in 2021.
Motaung said that with Chiefs celebrating their 50th anniversary in 2020, they had high hopes for the year, but the covid-19 pandemic shut down many of their celebration plans for the year.
It also scuppered their season on the field, as they narrowly missed out on winning the league, with eventual champions Mamelodi Sundowns overtaking them on the final day of the 2019/2020 season.
“Not playing football for five months was tough. Our players struggled to adjust mentally to the disruptive conditions. Still though, we are thankful that the PSL made it possible to complete the league season, albeit late,” Motaung said in her message on the Chiefs website.
“Playing in the Bio-Bubble without supporters was a surreal experience, particularly for a team that is used to having the “12th player” behind them. Suddenly, the throngs of supporters we’ve always had for years were no longer there. This was not easy to reconcile and had a huge impact on the players.”
“Ultimately it was heartbreaking to lose the league title race late on the final match day, with barely 19 minutes remaining of the entire season.”
“The FIFA ban on signing new players was another setback for the club but these challenges forced us to go back to basics and remember who we are and how we got to where we are. We shall continue to put faith and trust in the squad that did well for us last season and use the situation as motivation to do even better going forward.”
“On the positive side, our return to continental football is a meaningful consolation and we look forward to representing the country, together with three other clubs, in CAF competition in 2021.”
