Amid recent controversy regarding the timing of Chiefs’ league on Wednesday, Amakhosi legend Marks Maponyane has shared his thoughts on the matter.
Gavin Hunt caused a stir after his side’s 1-1 draw with Swallows, claiming there was some bias in the fixture list and Chiefs were the only ones who played a domestic game two days before their CAF Champions League quarterfinal clash, whereas the opposition side got enough rest from their respective leagues.
The Soweto giants welcome Tanzanian outfit Simba SC on Saturday evening.
Many claim the PSL should have tried to support Chiefs by perhaps postponing their game against Swallows to give them more time to rest. Amakhosi legend Maponyane was asked to share his opinion on the issue and surprisingly went in support of the PSL.
“No, you don’t look at it that way because a team that is involved in CAF or any other competition must always have a pool of players to choose from,” Maponyane said in an interview.
“That PSL predicted that the players would be injured, it’s obviously unfounded you know. I mean they still could have played well and finished the game and gain confidence you know. So that’s just the question of misfortune of it.
“Sometimes it never rains but pours you know, and it happens at the worst times. So it could have been good, it could have been bad, and it came out bad. But I don’t think they should have looked at the negative. Because there are also mixed emotions.
“You know when teams don’t play for too long they complain. When teams play very often they complain.”
Maponyane says the fact that the Tanzanians had already arrived in the country when Chiefs faced Swallows gives them no advantage.
“Not really hey, and I will tell you why. Sometimes what you see may not come out on the day. I mean how often have you seen teams that have been watching Sundowns as an example and still go on to lose?” he argues.
“They really have an advantage of watching the team, but because they have a pool of players… sometimes you face a Man City that has no striker, and suddenly they play with all false strikers you know.
“And Sundowns can do that too you know, how often they’ve done that. So it gives you an idea, but not a complete picture.”
Chiefs would be hoping to put their poor domestic form away as they hope to go a step further on the continent.