Two players from rival Soweto giants joined forces to give back to their community, inadvertently creating a platform for hidden talent to emerge and catch the eye of professional scouts.
Thabo Cele of Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates' Thalente Mbatha hosted a joint tournament in their hometown of KwaMashu in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal over the weekend, where many talented players showcased their abilities with scouts in attendance.
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A talent-spotting specialist present at the grassroots tournament has revealed to Soccer Laduma that Chiefs' scouts are believed to have discovered a young defender who they are willing to bring to the senior first team.
The football talent evaluator told the Siya crew that 21-year-old central defender Siyanda Khumalo impressed Amakhosi scouts who attended the tournament over the long weekend while playing for his amateur side.
"He is a young defender who plays for Inanda Real Stars. It's believed that Kaizer Chiefs scouts were happy with him and they want him to join pre-season training for one week before they can make their final decision on him. But they are apparently very happy with him so far," the source told Soccer Laduma.
A second source stated that two other Motsepe Foundation Championship sides also enquired about the 21-year-old defender.
"He is good. He reminds you of former Orlando Pirates and Bafana Bafana defender Mbulelo "Old John" Mabizela. Baroka FC and Black Leopards also enquired about him after the tournament. But it seems Chiefs are in the forefront at the moment," the second insider told the Siya crew.
Soccer Laduma contacted Inanda Real Stars coach Khumbulani Msomi who confirmed to this publication the interest from Chiefs as well as Baroka and Black Leopards.
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"That's very true. All the three clubs in Kaizer Chiefs, Baroka FC and Black Leopards have enquired about him. And there is a well-known KZN based scout who was also there and recommended the player to other clubs as well. I can tell you he is a very young centre-back who has a great future. Personally I would advise him to start at a lower club, gain experience and join Chiefs maybe next season. But if Chiefs finally sign him even this season he can still play," Msomi told the Siya crew.
Soccer Laduma contacted Chiefs for comment but there was no response at the time of preparing this story.
The emergence of Khumalo highlights the importance of community tournaments in uncovering hidden talent, with Chiefs potentially adding another promising young defender to their development pipeline. The competition from Motsepe Foundation Championship clubs suggests the player has genuine potential, though his coach's advice to start at a lower level raises interesting questions about the best development path for the young defender.
