After finishing last season in ninth position, Kaizer Chiefs are looking forward to having a better campaign and they are expected to return for pre-season this week.
As previously reported by Soccer Laduma, Amakhosi are travelling to Holland for their pre-season training camp, and now the Siya crew can add that the team will gather at Naturena this week.
READ: Pirates’ New Era To Include Familiar Face
A logistics insider has indicated that the players and technical team are expected to meet at the Kaizer Chiefs Village on Friday, 20 June to start training and discuss the way forward.
"Yes, the team is returning this week. Actually they are supposed to be at the Village on Friday, 20th June. That's when everything is going to start. There are other logistics which will be started like applying for the team's visas to travel to Holland. And also medical and fitness tests will be conducted for both the technical team and the players," the insider told the Siya crew.
Meanwhile, a second insider stated that those players who were with their respective national teams will be given another one-week break to be with their families.
"As of now it's believed that Mduduzi Shabalala and Aden McCarthy are the ones were with Bafana Bafana at the COSAFA Cup and are expected to join the team on June 27 and then the team is expected to travel to Holland on July 3. All is set for that at the moment," the second insider revealed.
READ: How Downs Could Use Surprise Mashego Deal
Amakhosi will be traveling to Europe for the second season running as last season they went to Turkey for their pre-season training camp.
Soccer Laduma contacted Chiefs for comment on the issue but there was no official response at the time of publishing this story.
The European pre-season represents a crucial period for coach Nasreddine Nabi to integrate any new signings and implement his tactical plans ahead of what promises to be a demanding 2025/26 campaign. With continental football on the horizon and expectations heightened following last season's Nedbank Cup triumph, the Dutch training camp will lay the foundation for Chiefs' ambitions to improve their league position and challenge for more silverware.
The additional recovery time for international players reflects the club's awareness of player welfare concerns, particularly following a condensed offseason for those involved in national team duties.
