Khune keeping Chiefs on target

Published Apr 12, 2013

Share

Johannesburg – It is almost forgotten that Itumeleng Khune does have a league championship medal. When Kaizer Chiefs last won the Absa Premiership eight years ago, Khune was an unknown teenager, having just been promoted into the first team by then coach Ted Dumitru.

At the time, Amakhosi had Rowen Fernandez and Brian Baloyi – the man Khune today reveres as having had the biggest influence in his career – as their two main goalkeepers.

However, Khune would be the first to concede that medal was not earned. Rather, he happened to be in a championship-winning side, playing the role of a ball-boy for the big men ahead of him.

This season, however, Khune has literally been leading Chiefs’ charge towards the title. Elevated to captain last term, the Bafana Bafana number one has played a pivotal role in Amakhosi staying top of the standings all season and, this week, he got a first reward for his efforts when he was named the best player for Quarter Three.

Khune believes Chiefs’ performance goes back to that 4-1 drubbing that they received at the hands of Mamelodi Sundowns in their first official match of this season. “That was a big wake-up call,” he said of the MTN8 quarter-final last August.

“We went into that game thinking no one could beat us. We had just signed players like Erick Mathoho and Morgan Gould. We looked at the Sundowns line-up and saw inexperienced players, like Thamsanqa Sangweni, Abel Mabaso and Tebogo Langerman. We told ourselves we would win easily, but by the 20th minute, we were 3-0 down.”

From that moment, Khune says, Chiefs approached every game with seriousness, and not merely believing they would vanquish opponents simply because of the big-name signings they had made.

“We played AmaZulu the following week, and the same Sundowns a few days later. We won both those games and from then, I knew we were serious about challenging for the championship,” he says.

Chiefs are now five matches away from “reclaiming the glory”, as their theme for this year states. But as unlikely as it seems, the title can still be lost, with Chiefs themselves having won it in 2005 after Orlando Pirates threw away a massive points advantage in the latter stages of that season.

“We know (that it can be lost), that’s why we are not getting carried away,” Khune says. “Anything can still happen, but everything is in our control. It’s up to us to secure the title. We don’t want to lose it now … we can’t allow that to happen. There’s a saying that it’s hard to get to the top, but it’s easy to fall. We have to keep our focus until the season is over.”

He believes Kaizer Motaung’s decision to splash funds on the likes of Mathoho and Gould, as well as Siboniso Gaxa and Tsepo Masilela, laid a strong foundation for Chiefs’ championship challenge.

“Since I’ve been here we haven’t spent as much on players as we did this season. The chairman (Motaung) really went out of his way to make sure we got the best squad. The players who came in were hungry for success. And it also helped that we got a coach (Stuart Baxter) who didn’t take too long to find a winning combination. The coach created healthy competition in the team, and a great atmosphere. All players respect each other, whether you’re playing or not.”

Forced to play with a completely new defence at the start of the season, Khune had to shoulder a lot of responsibility as captain and senior player, not least because Chiefs had just jettisoned the experienced Tinashe Nengomasha, while Jimmy Tau was battling a long-term injury.

“Tinashe leaving us was a big loss,” he says of the Zimbabwean midfielder who now plays for BIDVest Wits. “I was surprised to read he was not returning, but we were fortunate that Willard (Katsande) took over and became our new Tinashe.”

With just 15 goals conceded, Khune has had easily his best season as a professional. He has played every minute of Chiefs’ 25 Premiership fixtures.

“I have been blessed to stay injury free all-season. In previous years, I was hampered by injuries and coming back, my form was not the same. This time, I have strived to improve with every game,” says Khune, who this season has missed just one cup game – against Wits last October – due to a family bereavement.

It’s not only the domestic front that Khune has set alight. He has had a great run at Bafana level, too, even getting the honour of captaining the national team in the World Cup qualifier against the Central African Republic.

It is almost certain that Gordon Igesund, the Bafana coach, would name Khune as his long-term captain. “It was a great honour captaining Bafana, but whether I get that on a full-time basis is not an issue. The fact is we have many leaders in the team. But in the week leading to that match against the CAR, it felt great to hear people in the streets saying ‘please captain, lead us to victory, lead us to Brazil’. It showed that I carried a huge responsibility.”

While he remains a popular figure across all of SA football’s divide, Khune deplores fingerpointing that usually follows selection at Bafana level. “Some fans just won’t support the national team unconditionally. You find others criticising a Bafana player simply because he plays for Chiefs. This does not help us. Chiefs and Pirates fans who do this. They count the number of players each team has in the Bafana squad, forgetting that this is about the country and not their teams.”

One aspect which frequently draws criticism for Khune is his time-wasting tactics. He was cautioned against the CAR for taking too long with a goalkick, and in a recent league tie against Bloemfontein Celtic, he received another yellow card for a similar offence, putting him one booking away from suspension.

“It’s not true that I deliberately waste time,” Khune retorts. “People just brand me a time-waster without looking at the facts. In the game against the CAR, I realised they had the upper hand. We were in danger of conceding. I tried to slow the game down, because it wouldn’t have helped rushing to kick the ball forward when we were under pressure. I have played qualifiers throughout the continent and keepers there get away with much worse. They would throw themselves on the turf, lie there for six minutes and the ref would add just one extra minute, or nothing at all. But here at home I’m being crucified unfairly.”

At 26, Khune has 55 caps and has played in no fewer than four major tournaments but he feels his CV still misses something. “I want to play in the African Champions League,” he says.

As they were still serving a Caf ban when they last won the league, Chiefs did not enter the 2006 Champions League. They now have to win the title for Khune to realise his dream. Amakhosi could be in an even better position to play in CAF club tournaments if they go on to win the Nedbank Cup – they face Celtic in a quarter-final tomorrow.

Why Khune hasn’t secured an overseas move in spite of his undisputable talent is a mystery, but he’s not too bothered. “The truth is I have never received a single written offer from any overseas club. I want to go there, but I’m not going to rush it. If the overseas teams have decided I’m not ready, then it’s fine. We’ve seen players rushing for overseas moves and returning after a short time. I want to go there and come back when my career is nearing the end.”

Khune still contacts his idol Baloyi, who retired last season. “I wanted to be like him when I joined Chiefs. I see him from time to time to check how he leads his life in retirement. We are working on projects to help youngsters and make a difference in communities. He inspired me; I want to inspire a lot of youngsters too.” – The Star

Related Topics: