Calls to investigate ‘strange’ Kaizer Chiefs crisis – ‘How did they happen?’

Ex-Kaizer Chiefs forward Fees Moloi has called on the club to launch an investigation into its escalating injury crisis, which has sidelined several key players and raised questions about the team’s conditioning and training methods.

The latest casualty is new signing Langelihle Phili, who joins a growing list of players in the treatment room. Phili missed the recent league match against Richards Bay FC and is now expected to be out for up to eight weeks.

He is one of several defenders, including Rushwin Dortley and Bradley Cross, who are currently unavailable.

Moloi believes the recurring injuries are more than just bad luck, suggesting that factors like improper conditioning, fixture congestion, or even training surface issues could be to blame. He argues that the sheer volume of injuries, particularly affecting the left-back position, is a major concern that could derail Amakhosi’s season if not addressed.

Ex-Chiefs striker calls for probe into injuries

“The problem might be with the strength and conditioning and load management progression at Chiefs,” Moloi told KickOff.

“Not even five league games have been played, but there is already an injury crisis at the club. The training intensity might have increased after the off-season. It might have increased too high when the players were not yet ready. If that’s the case, then you will suffer injuries.”

Moloi clarified that his concerns were not necessarily a criticism of the coaching staff but rather a question of how the players’ transition from the off-season to high-intensity competitive matches was handled.

“It doesn’t necessarily mean the technical staff is doing a poor job, but the transition from off-season from high-intensity training to competitive matches… maybe that’s where they lost it. It wasn’t managed well,” he explained.

Moloi bewildered by many players out

The former Free State Stars and Santos player expressed bewilderment at the situation, urging the club to dig deeper.

“It’s strange to have about six players in a single position not available. These injuries need to be investigated by Kaizer Chiefs,” Moloi insisted.

“Find out if these injuries are not from last season, were these injuries sustained during pre-season? We never saw some of these injuries happening during a match, so where are they coming from? How did they happen?”

He concluded, “If the club can investigate all that, then they will be able to solve this injury crisis they are faced with.”

The Soweto giants will have a brief respite before their next competitive fixture against Siwelele FC at Moses Mabhida Stadium next Saturday.