Siyag bhoza
Soccer Laduma|4 December 2019
Middendorp holding a divided Chiefs camp together
Siyag bhoza

For a man who started the 2019/20 season on the backfoot and his future a thorny issue, Ernst Middendorp has turned the Soweto giants’ fortunes around and is doing a stellar job in keeping all the pieces together at Kaizer Chiefs.

The German has converted Amakhosi into strong league contenders this season, though the Siya crew has learnt of disharmony between the coach and some senior players - those who have been mostly overlooked. A coach who works excessively long hours and demands that those around him try keep up, Middendorp may have ruffled a few feathers in his one-year stay at Naturena to date, with an outburst from digital manager Kemiso Motaung and star player George Maluleka’s social ‘endorsements’ suggesting that not everyone is pulling in the same direction.

Middendorp is at the top of the table, so the big question is why is he not getting the full support that he needs for Kaizer Chiefs to clinch the Absa Premiership?

What the Siya crew has been told…

Senior players divided..

Ernst Middendorp’s Kaizer Chiefs are sitting pretty at the top of the Absa Premiership, and despite the German’s success, he is unnecessarily being forced into holding a divided camp together.

Insiders have painted a picture of a discord brewing with some players at Naturena, especially those who have found themselves on the sidelines sinceMiddendorp took over the coaching reins at Amakhosi a year ago - to the month.

Parts of it played out in the build-up and aftermath of the club’s Telkom Knockout defeat to Maritzburg United.

This story is from the 4 December 2019 edition of Soccer Laduma.

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This story is from the 4 December 2019 edition of Soccer Laduma.

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