Kaizer Chiefs invested in new talent during the off-season but faced the frustrating reality of being unable to field some of their signings in their league opener.
Despite the documentation delays, their existing squad managed to secure an excellent result without those new additions.
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After announcing new signings before going on their pre-season training camp in the Netherlands and featuring them in the preseason Toyota Cup, Kaizer Chiefs could not field some of these players against Stellenbosch FC on Sunday in their 2-0 Betway Premiership opening encounter.
Insiders close to the club have indicated that three players - Nkanyiso Shinga, Ethan Chislett and Flavio Silva - were affected by work permit or International Transfer Certificate (ITC) issues.
After the weekend's match, the insiders added that management is working on resolving the situation and that the players will soon have all the necessary documents to start playing official games for the club.
"All the international players who were signed from overseas haven't gotten their work permits yet, and that's why they are not playing in the league yet. The club is still waiting on their papers. For Flavio Silva and Ethan Chislett it's their work permits while for Nkanyiso Shinga it's his International Transfer Certificate (ITC) so once those documents are sorted, they will be available to play," the source told Soccer Laduma.
A second insider then stated that obtaining the documents and determining when the three will be available to play is out of management's hands.
However, since then, there is positive news regarding one of the affected players ahead of the next fixture.
Chiefs assistant coach Cedric Kaze confirmed to journalists that the paperwork for Chislett has been sorted and he is now available for selection.
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Speaking to the media during a press conference at Chiefs Village on Tuesday ahead of their Betway Premiership encounter against Polokwane City, Kaze said that most of the players who missed the Stellenbosch game will be available.
"Good thing is that we didn’t have any injuries from the last game or any suspensions. And, as well, we are going to have a couple of players back for various reasons. (Pule) Mmodi is back from his suspension. Ethan is available for selection after his paperwork has been resolved. (Paseka) Mako, as well, is available for selection after being cleared by the medical staff. I think we are in a very good space for tomorrow,” Kaze told the media.
Photo by Kaizer Chiefs
