Miguel confirms there's no armband tussle with Maart

Kaizer Chiefs deputy captain Inacio Miguel has made it clear that there's no armband rivalry between him and skipper Yusuf Maart, emphasising his “huge respect” for Maart as he dispelled the notion that he was a better leader than the former Sekhukhune United man.

The 28-year-old Maart, who joined Chiefs in July 2022 from Sekhukhune, where he was also a captain, cut a quiet figure, a total opposite of what Miguel always appears to be. Miguel, who's also 29, arrived at Chiefs from his native Angolan outfit Petro Luanda at the start of the season.

Maart may have etched his name in Chiefs' history books by scoring the goal that ended their 10-year trophy drought when they beat their biggest rivals Orlando Pirates in the Nedbank Cup final in Durban on Saturday, but his captaincy is likely to remain in the spotlight. A section of Amakhosi fans, especially on social media, always bemoan that he was too “soft” to skipper Chiefs, with some calling for Miguel to inherit the armband outright. 

“I have huge respect for Yusuf. Yusuf is my captain. I respect him a lot ... he has a lot of leadership skills. I don't see any difference when it's me or him wearing the armband because we're two great leaders,'' Miguel said.

“For me, he's my leader. He has played a huge role for the team. He gives the face of the team; he never hides. He has a lot of personality and character ... I love him a lot. I can't say that if I were the captain, things would have been better, no.”

On their Nedbank Cup triumph, which helped to finally end their prolonged dry spell of silverware, Miguel suggested that they humbled their naysayers, adding that he will treasure that moment for a very long time. Chiefs will now be fighting to finish in the top eight, aiming to win their last two fixtures against Sekhukhune at Peter Mokaba Stadium on Saturday and versus Polokwane City at FNB Stadium the following Saturday.

“A lot of people doubted us but look at us now. It was written, no one can take this away from us. This is a feeling we've been searching for so long. This will stay in my memory for so long,'' Miguel told SABC Sports.

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