Luke Baartman: Kaizer Chiefs management and coaches at odds over new signing?

Kaizer Chiefs bosses and coaches appear not to be reading from the same script when it comes to the handling of new signing Luke Baartman.

Baartman was among 12 players signed by Chiefs in the off-season but he arrived late owing to a court process that had seen his former club Cape Town Spurs contest his move to Naturena as a free agent, alongside Asanele Velebayi.

The 19-year-old, and his former Spurs teammate, would get cleared after their parent club lost their case and the subsequent appeal, making them eligible to play for Chiefs but while Velebayi has made the matchday squad for the Glamour Boys, Baartman is yet to.

Chiefs co-coach Cedric Kaze raised eyebrows recently when he said they were considering dropping the young forward to the Diski Challenge team to get playing time although many interpreted it to mean the player was not up to standard and needed to work his way up.

Kaze was forced to clarify Baartman DDC comments

However, Kaze later clarified that he feels Baartman needs minutes in the legs as he arrived late and was not part of pre-season and therefore, a spell in the DDC side would help him gain fitness before he is considered for selection in the senior team.

“It’s not a player that was bought to go to gain experience in our DDC, but there are a different process in what we are doing,” Kaze told the media last week.

“Baartman, if I count how many days, he has been absent from the team it’s like almost two months with the pre-season, with the World Cup and when we said we will consider playing him DDC on weekend, then Monday be at training, training with first team and going forward to play as well in the first team.

“I don’t know but it’s how football works. If a player is a little bit late on the physical condition even on the tactical and technical conditions in every team in the world, the weekend he plays with the reserve then he comes back to the first team then he can play three days after with the first team, but it doesn’t mean that you are downgraded him to the DDC team.”

What has Chiefs management decided over the forward?

However, while the Burundian tactician was making the clarification it seems the ‘damage’ had already been made as his bosses were reportedly not happy with his sentiments that Baartman would play for the reserve team.

According to KickOff, the Chiefs management was ‘upset’ by the comments on the young forward dropping to the DDC team and have made a decision that Baartman will not play there and will instead be part of the senior team throughout.

That puts the management at odds with the coach as the two parties appear not to see things the same way when it comes to the situation of the highly talented forward.

Kaze was perhaps looking to borrow a leaf from Mamelodi Sundowns, who have a number of senior team players, such as Thapelo Maseko, Asekho Tiwani and Kutlwano Letlhaku, turning out for the DDC team, in a bid to gain playing time as the they have been on the fringes in coach Miguel Cardoso’s side.