Kaizer Chiefs interim head coach Arthur Zwane has revealed that defender Njabulo Ngcobo has apologised for the bust-up on the bench he caused during the team's 2-1 DStv Premiership defeat to Golden Arrows in midweek.
Ngcobo was substituted after he had an error-prone match against Arrows, with one of his mistakes leading to Siboniso Conco's equaliser for Arrows. The centre-back was replaced by Daniel Cardoso, after storming off the pitch he didn't acknowledge Zwane and co-coach Dillon Sheppard. Ngcobo was reprimanded by goalkeeper coach Lee Baxter but he shoved him away as well, prompting senior players to calm him down.
The incident gained traction on social media, with many having different opinions on what transpired on the Amakhosi bench. In a virtual press conference ahead of Chiefs' next game in the DStv Premiership, against Cape Town City at FNB Stadium at 3pm on Saturday, Zwane addressed the Ngcobo matter head-on, saying the player was remorseful.
“With Njabulo, it was the heat of the moment. I don't think he did that intentionally. He was very upset at himself. He made a mistake that we conceded a goal [from] and brought Golden Arrows back in the game. He was upset,” said Zwane.
“Me, as his coach right now, it would be unfair to crucify him and not help him. I was a player myself, I made mistakes and I was allowed to learn from the mistakes. Njabulo is in a similar situation right now. He needs us.
“He has apologised. He's back to his senses right now. You could see after the game he was remorseful... He's one of the best players we have and we are going to help him fulfil his potential,” Zwane said.
Zwane was asked if they are having difficulties preparing for the Cape Town City game as there's an air of uncertainty around the match, with the visitors having previously hinted at not honouring the postponed fixture. The former winger said they are going about preparations for the match as per the norm.
“It's been difficult for us to prepare the team thoroughly and holistically simply because the games are coming in thick and fast,” said Zwane.
“You only have one session to prepare the team... so you try to keep things simple. The minute you want to do a lot of things, you're going to complicate things.”
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