Kaizer Chiefs forced into late Faiz Abrahams change after loan ruling

Kaizer Chiefs were forced to remove Faiz Abrahams from their starting XI shortly before kick-off in Tuesday’s 1-1 Betway Premiership draw with Stellenbosch FC at FNB Stadium.

The winger had been named on the team sheet, but was replaced by Mduduzi Shabalala after Chiefs discovered that the terms of Abrahams’ loan agreement prevented the 21-year-old junior international from playing against his parent club.

The late alteration meant Amakhosi avoided defaulting on the agreement, although the error left them facing questions over their pre-match preparations.

Assistant coach Dillon Sheppard acknowledged that Abrahams had featured in Chiefs’ plans during the week and appeared to indicate the issue had only become clear around an hour before kick-off.

“I don’t want to comment too much about it. I don’t really know too much leading up to it,” Sheppard said when asked after the match why Abrahams had been removed from the line-up.

“Obviously we had prepared the game with him and there were some issues and he couldn’t start.”

Shabalala later scored Chiefs’ equaliser in the 58th minute, cancelling out Sinoxolo Kwayiba’s 48th-minute opener for Stellenbosch. The result was Chiefs’ fifth draw in eight matches, alongside three victories, and left the Soweto club fourth in the Premiership.

Sheppard attended the post-match news conference because Chiefs coach Fernando da Cruz had taken ill at the end of the game.

“He was vomiting, is with the doctors and they are checking on him,” Sheppard said.

The assistant coach also defended a starting line-up that included six natural defenders. Thabiso Monyane, Inacio Miguel, Thabo Moloisane and Bradley Cross formed the back four, while Reeve Frosler, traditionally a right-back, played in central midfield and left-back Paseko Mako operated on the wing.

“The system is just there as a starting system, but in the game all players have responsibilities to occupy different positions at certain times,” Sheppard said.

“We can say it’s defensive, but it’s going to be attacking when your wingbacks are nice and high and you are on a 3-2-5 and it becomes an attacking system.”

He said injuries to midfielders Lebohang Maboe, Siphesihle Ndlovu and Adolf Mtansangiwa had contributed to the unusual formation.

“Young Thulani [Mabaso, a promising attacking midfielder] has just come back from a long-term injury, so to throw him into a game where we’ve just come off a Fifa break would have been unfair on him,” Sheppard added.

“We had to find alternatives. In the preseason we worked with Reeve in the midfield and he’s played that position before. And with the three weeks we had and prepared with him, he did really well, so that was the reason behind that.”

After three consecutive draws, Chiefs next face Red Arrows in the first leg of their Caf Confederation Cup second preliminary round tie at Levy Mwanawasa Stadium in Ndola on Saturday at 3pm.