Cedric Kaze, the co-coach of Kaizer Chiefs, has clarified his statement regarding his consideration of playing youngster Luke Baartman in the DStv Diski Challenge (DDC) prior to his first team debut.
On Tuesday, after their goalless draw against Siwelele FC, Kaze was asked about Baartman, among several other Chiefs’ new players who are yet to make their debuts.
The Amakhosi co-coach noted that the squad is big, with over 30 players, and that he may just consider sending the 19-year-old to the DDC for more game time, as he is still behind schedule.
“We have around 34 players. There is a process of bringing players to play and to get to know each other, to get to know how we want to play,” Kaze said.
“When Baartman first came, he was not registered; thereafter, he went to the U20 World Cup. He didn’t come to the pre-season, which means that, in general, he’s missed at least two months with the team.
“But yes, sending him to the DDC is something that we are considering, and to help our DDC team get better. It’s something that we are considering,” he said.
Some fans not happy
However, his statement was not well-received by a section of the Amakhosi supporters, with Kaze refuting that Baartman has been demoted to the DDC.
“I just want to clarify that Baartman is a player who was bought to be a part of the Kaizer Chiefs first team and not signed to gain experience in the DDC,” Kaze emphasised during a press conference on Friday ahead of their CAF Confederations Cup second preliminary round second leg at the Dobsonville Stadium against AS Simba on Sunday.
“So, when I said we would consider taking him to the DDC for some minutes, it was because he missed about two months with the rest of the squad because of registration issues and being at the World Cup.
“And that is what happens all over the world, where players who have missed a lot of time with the team and are behind in terms of fitness, technical, and technically, they will usually go again for some minutes with the reserve team to catch up,” Kaze added.
