Was Cele Leave’s departure from Mamelodi Sundowns a wrong decision?

Thabiso "Skapie" Malatsi, a former Kaizer Chiefs midfielder, has raised doubts over the club's choice to let Thabo Cele go, convinced that the midfielder would have been a valuable asset to Amakhosi had he stayed at Naturena.

Chiefs are still unbeaten in the league, yet converting draws into victories has proven difficult, and their most recent stumble came in Zambia, where they fell to Red Arrows in the CAF Confederation Cup. For Malatsi, parting with a player of Cele's calibre and experience was an error.

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Cele, meanwhile, has moved on to Mamelodi Sundowns, where he has already lifted the MTN8 — a development that has only fuelled the debate surrounding Chiefs' decision to let him leave.

Voicing his frustration over Cele's exit, Malatsi argued that the midfielder possessed exactly the attributes Chiefs needed to lift their performances.

"Even today, I still ask myself why Kaizer Chiefs allowed a player of Thabo Cele's quality to leave. His arrival made a difference at Chiefs, and I believe he could have contributed even more to the team's improvement had he stayed and been given more opportunities to play."

"He is a player whose quality would have reminded us of club legends like Thabo 'Tsiki-Tsiki' Mooki and Frank Makua. I know what I am talking about because the players I have mentioned were my seniors when I joined the Chiefs senior team."

“Chiefs Made a Blunder”

"I don't know exactly what led to Thabo Cele leaving Chiefs, but what I do know is that the team is struggling to get the desired results at the moment. As a former player who grew up at the club and still associates with it, it hurts and disappoints me to see things not going the way they should."

"Had Chiefs kept Thabo Cele, I believe the team would not be in the situation it finds itself in now, struggling to get results. What a quality player! I would like to believe that Chiefs made a blunder by allowing such a player to leave."

Only Phili and Maboe Measure Up

"With all due respect to everyone in the current Chiefs squad, and without judging anyone, I don't see many players who match Thabo Cele's quality and experience. The only two players I would single out as performing at the level required at a big club like Chiefs are (Langelihle) Phili and (Lebohang) Maboe."

Hazem Mlhem |

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Hazem Mlhem est un rédacteur sportif expérimenté, animé par une passion pour le football africain.