Chiefs dressing room split, 'has been for years'

Kaizer Chiefs’ retired Burundian defender Valery Nahayo suspects the “deep-rooted” problem of cliques within the squad that he witnessed during his time at Amakhosi may be one of the reasons his compatriot Bonfils-Caleb Bimenyimana has struggled. 

“They say ‘oh no, he [Bimenyimana] scores penalties’ but other people didn’t score those penalties, hey. The problem at Chiefs is deep, deep. I know Chiefs, I was there...there are a lot of inside problems that affect the players. Outsiders don’t see those problems...there are big divisions in the dressing room and Caleb could be struggling because of that,” Nahayo told Sowetan from his Belgium home this week.

“During my time there, a lot of players were not on speaking terms but only spoke to each other to buy face. South African players are scared to speak about these things but dressing room divisions are a problem at Chiefs...I am sure even today that’s the case and that’s why new players like Caleb found themselves dropping...it’s hard to adapt to that kind of environment.”

Nahayo, who is busy with his Uefa coaching badges in Belgium, has maintained that Bimenyimana is a good player. The former Jomo Cosmos man insinuated that coach Arthur Zwane had not done enough to get to understand his countryman.

“In a few games, he proved that he’s a quality player. He’s a really, really good player. I have also told him that ‘boy you have a bright future...you’ve the right physique and speed’.  Any player can drop but it’s up to you as a coach to lift him up...talk to him as an individual and ask if he has personal problems or what,” Nahayo stated.

“I really doubt they’ve done that with him or any other players who dropped their form. African coaches don’t understand the importance of motivating players.”

While Bimenyimana has proven to be a hit for the Burundi national team in recent times, having scored a goal and racked up an assist when they beat Namibia 3-2 in the Afcon qualifier at home on Tuesday, he had a rather unconvincing maiden season with Chiefs. 

Five of the seven league goals he scored were penalties. Bimenyimana started 11 of the 17 DStv Premiership games he was involved in in the 2022/23 season. It is now  understood that Amakhosi are planning to let go of the 25-year-old striker before the start of the season, despite his contract only expiring in June next year.