Khumalo says Bohloko's ready for chiefs first team

Kaizer Chiefs DStv Diski Challenge (DDC) coach Vela Khumalo is convinced his 15-year-old star Neo Bohloko is mature enough to play top-flight football, insisting if he was in countries like Spain, he’d have long tasted Premiership action.

“If Bohloko was in Spain, he would have already played in the first team. But again, I think if the first team was doing so well, he was going to have a taste of at least five minutes of top-flight football. Because the first team isn’t really on song yet as we are still trying to get that formula, you can’t put the poor boy under pressure by just throwing him in when there’s Mduduzi [Shabalala] who can’t make the starting XI,” Khumalo told Sowetan yesterday.

“Bohloko is very intelligent. He’s not a busy player on the field but he’s calculative. He’s got that goal-scoring instinct many players of his age lack. His numbers are there for anybody to see [he boasts seven DCC goals this season, four behind leading scorer Ntlonelo Bomelo of Richards Bay]. The boy has a bright future ahead of him.”

Amakhosi are fourth on the DDC table with 27 points, five behind leaders Orlando Pirates after 15 outings. Chiefs have never won the reserve league title. Still, Khumalo isn’t too focused on trying to clinch what would be their maiden DDC title, emphasising promoting players to the senior team remains his main goal.

“Yes, winning is a trademark, we play to win everywhere because we want to develop winners but winning can be measured in different ways. I look at the number of players we are promoting and that’s winning for me, so winning the title would just be a bonus,” Khumalo stated.

Chiefs recently promoted Mfundo Vilakazi and Donay Jansen, who are following in the footsteps of many other current first-team stars like Nkosingiphile Ngcobo, Happy Mashiane and Shabalala, among others, to have emerged from the side’s development. 

DDC fixtures (all at Sugar Ray Xulu unless stated)

Tomorrow: Chippa v Stellenbosch, Wolfson (10am); Pirates v SuperSport, Rand (10am); Sekhukhune v Swallows, Isak Steyl (10am); Polokwane v Bay (1pm); Sundowns v Arrows (3pm)

Sunday: CPT City v Galaxy, Melta Park (10am); Royal v Spurs (1pm); Chiefs v AmaZulu (3pm).