Former Kaizer Chiefs forward Gert Schalkwyk is of the view that the club's decision to suspend football manager Bobby Motaung could be detrimental to their title run-in.
Three days ago, Chiefs dropped a bombshell, announcing they'd suspended Bobby after the football manager appeared in a series of videos of him allegedly partying during the national lockdown last week.
His suspension means he won't be going into the biologically safe environment (BSE) to complete the coronavirus-ravaged campaign.
The flamboyant boss who normally goes down to the pitch from the VIP suites after almost every match to be with players, will miss the opportunity to celebrate with the club on the ground, should they hold onto their top spot until the end of the season.
The retired Schalkwyk, who spent five years at Naturena between 2004 and 2009, feels Bobby's absence could come back to haunt Chiefs in the final stretch of the season.
"His suspension can affect the team. Bobby is a very good guy. He knows how to talk to the players, he encourages the players," Schalkwyk told Sowetan yesterday.
"I feel his absence can have a negative impact. If you [are] close to someone, when he's not there you feel hapless. To be honest, I think Bobby is needed for these remaining games."
The 38-year-old former Amakhosi marksman insisted Bobby should not be judged by his life away from the beautiful game, underlining his importance to the players.
"Despite those videos, they need him. That's outside life. You can't judge him by those videos. The job he's been doing is amazing," said Schalkwyk.
"If you need something, you can always go to Bobby. He's like a father or brother to Chiefs players.
"Any problem that you have, you are able to talk to him about it."
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