Former Kaizer Chiefs defender Siyabonga Ngezana is set to make his debut in the Uefa Champions League in the next couple of days.
The South Africa international moved to Romania at the beginning of the 2023/24 season. The 26-year-old endured a torrid start that saw him miss several top matches after taking time to adapt and eventually settle.
Ngezana forced his way into the FCSB starting team, playing a crucial role in helping them win the league for the first time since the 2014/15 campaign. The victory handed them a chance to dine with the big boys in the Uefa Champions League.
Who will Ngezana’s FCSB play in the initial stage of the Champions League?
The organizers conducted the initial draw on June 18 to pair teams that will face each other in the first round of the qualifiers.
Ngezana will have to help his team get past San Marino outfit SS Virtus in a two-legged fixture that will be played on a home-and-away basis.
The Romanians will be away in the first leg which will be played at the Campo Sportivo Stadium in Acquaviva on either June 9 or 10 with the second one scheduled for a week later at the National Arena in Bucuresti.
The aggregate winners will then advance to the second preliminary round of the annual competition while the losers drop to the Conference League.
But will Ngezana play in the prestigious club competition?
Due to his excellent displays at FCSB, the defender has attracted interest from other teams in Europe.
Ngezana is open to leaving the Romanian side, but only if potential suitor can reach an agreement with his employers as confirmed in the MSW Show, “To be quite honest, at that time the league was coming to an end, I had so many interests from other teams, but my focus was to keep my head down and focus on winning the league, which we did.
“I heard a lot of rumours, but obviously, it was rumours; I don’t pay too much attention to them until there’s something solid.
“It was not only a team [Lorient] from France but also in Turkey. It means there’s something because even my boss, Mr. Gigi Becalli, also said something about it. It’s not in my hands, it is under the management.”
