Former Kaizer Chiefs and Stellenbosch midfielder Darrel Matsheke has opened up about his rather unceremonious exit from the Winelands outfit, saying he was fired for being “too honest”, and has dismissed rumours of ill-discipline.
In March last year, Stellies released a statement, reading: “Stellenbosch has parted ways with Darrel Matsheke by mutual agreement after the player transgressed the club’s internal code of conduct.”
Three months earlier, the 26-year-old anchor man had played a pivotal role in the club's Carling Knockout triumph, their maiden piece of silverware in the top-flight. “I still want to play football, so I won't really like to talk too much about what really happened at Stellenbosch,'' Matsheke told Sowetan.
“The way I left the club wasn't nice. The main reason for my exit there was [me] being too honest... I always confronted the coach whenever I didn't understand things. It was not a matter of me being ill-disciplined or something...
“I have never come to training drunk or something of that nature. When I left, they told me not to speak to the media but I was later surprised by their statement [saying he had transgressed the club's code of conduct].”
Matsheke, who played for Kruger United in the second-tier last season, has been snatched up by Marumo Gallants ahead of the 2025/26 term. The midfield workhorse cherishes the opportunity to play in the Premiership again, and views it as a “lifeline”.
“I am very happy to be back in the Premiership. I will show on the pitch how happy I am with this chance to play top-flight football again. For me, this chance is a lifeline,'' he said.
“I have made mistakes before, [and] I won't repeat those mistakes because I understand this may be my last chance in the Premiership. So, I can't afford to mess up.”
Matsheke also reflected on how his Marumo transfer came about. “I was called by my former coach Sundra Govender... I worked with him at Chiefs and also at Casric before I went to Kruger.
“He asked me how my contract was at Kruger, and I explained to him it was a short-term deal that expired at the end of June. He then introduced me to Marumo chairman, and the rest is history.”
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