Veteran midfield maestro George Maluleka has made a bold claim that the fanbase of his former club, Kaizer Chiefs, hates him for his unceremonious move to rivals Mamelodi Sundowns.
Maluleka’s assertions follow years of criticism for departing from Chiefs to join Sundowns during the crucial January transfer window in 2020, when the Soweto giants were poised to win the league.
Amakhosi ended up missing out on the league to Sundowns on the last day of the season, which some fans attributed to Maluleka’s departure.
Chiefs fans’ conspiracy theory surrounding the transfer was that Masandawana only signed Maluleka to destabilise their team.
Documentary series
Having shared his thoughts about the controversial move, Maluleka has since opened up to Sunday World about the reception he gets from Chiefs fans in public and on social media.
“They [Chiefs fans] hate me. Until today, they hate me, which is fine because they don’t know the full story of what happened. But they hate me,” Maluleka declared.
“But some Chiefs fans show me love and respect for playing for the club and for everything. But [most of them] hate me, which is fine; it’s part of life.
“I mean, the [Liverpool fans] are swearing at Trent [Alexander-Arnold] right now for leaving and going to Real Madrid. But it’s part of life and football.”
Maluleka said he will reveal the truth and real reason behind his switch from Amakhosi to Sundowns in a documentary series he is currently working on.
“I was initially going to keep this whole thing to myself, but I am going to reveal it on one of the streaming services, whether it’s Netflix or Disney.
“I am working on a talk show that speaks about this. It is going to come out one day, and it’s going to be a banger,” he added.
Mido wishes Chiefs well
Despite all that, Mido, as the 36-year-old was fondly known during his playing days, said he still wishes Amakhosi well in the Betway Premiership and hopes they win trophies.
“I’m praying they do well. Yes, I really pray they do well and win trophies. I wouldn’t want Chiefs not to do well.
“And you saw what happened [when they won the Nedbank Cup last season]; it was a movie, and we witnessed [wild] scenes. That’s what you want to see. The whole country was happy because it also automatically rubbed off on the national team.
“We also have the Afcon [Africa Cup of Nations] and World Cup coming up, so I wish to see the big team on a high, and hopefully there will be some Kaizer Chiefs players forming part of Bafana Bafana.”
