In almost a decade, Kaizer Chiefs have been reduced to a laughing stock in South Africa owing to their struggles on the pitch.
The conclusion of the 2023/24 season marked the ninth consecutive campaign the Glamour Boys have finished without celebrating any success as far as trophies are concerned. As a matter of fact, the last time Black and Gold celebrated a trophy was in the 2014/15 season.
Long gone are the days when a player knew his chances of playing for the national team would be boosted if he joined Amakhosi; nowadays, joining the team is like kissing your national team opportunities goodbye.
Players who have struggled to play for Bafana Bafana after joining Chiefs
Yusuf Maart
While with Sekhukhune United, Maart was seen as Bafana's future in midfield owing to his style of play. He barely missed when the national team squad was named.
He made his move to Chiefs in the 2022/23 season and since then, he has made just one appearance for Bafana.
A 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Morocco on June 9, 2022, a game the Atlas Lions won 2-1 was Maart's last involvement with Bafana Bafana.
Reeve Frosler
The defender was another player who had a bright future with Bafana Bafana owing to his exploits at Bidvest Wits.
It turned out that his move to the Glamour Boys did little to boost his chances with the national team owing to his struggles at the club level.
At 26, Frosler is a shell of his former self and with Chiefs losing direction, it seems he will wait for a long time before making a return.
Siyethemba Sithebe
The dreadlocked midfielder won Hugo Broos' heart during his time at AmaZulu thanks to his passion and dedicated play.
He ditched Usuthu for Amakhosi and since then, it is like the Belgian lost interest; the now 31-year-old has never been considered regardless of the magnitude of the game.
Keagan Dolly
The attacker's career at Chiefs has not gone as planned owing to struggles on the pitch and regular injuries.
However, even at his best, Hugo Broos overlooked the former Mamelodi Sundowns player and at some point, he claimed the now 31-year-old was a victim of Chiefs' struggle for consistency.
His last involvement with Bafana was way back in September 2022.
Njabulo Ngcobo
Imagine from being the defender of the year with a bright future in the national team to a benchwarmer at Chiefs!
That is the short story of the former Moroka Swallows center back Ngcobo; he was signed by Amakhosi to help in the rebuild, but he was reduced to a mere squad player who is set to leave for free at the end of June.
Sifiso Hlanti
The 34-year-old is arguably the biggest loser here; he was a regular for the national team during his time with Bidvest Wits and eventually Swallows.
Broos included him in the Bafana squad during his early days at Amakhosi he later stopped. His chances of returning to the national team are almost non-existent.
