Junior Khanye questions Adolf Mtasingwa’s impact after Kaizer Chiefs debut

Junior Khanye has criticised Kaizer Chiefs’ new defensive midfielder Adolf Mtasingwa after the Tanzania international made his competitive debut in Sunday’s 1-0 defeat by Golden Arrows in the MTN8 quarter-final.

Mtasingwa, 27, started at FNB Stadium as one of two players to make their official debuts for Kaizer Chiefs, who were eliminated in the opening round of the Wafa Wafa tournament.

The match was Kaizer Chiefs’ first competitive fixture of the season. Amakhosi had missed the previous two editions of the MTN8 after finishing in the bottom half of the league.

Mtasingwa had previously worn the black and gold during the pre-season Toyota Cup, when Kaizer Chiefs defeated Zimbabwean club Scottland FC in July.

However, former player and iDiski TV analyst Khanye said he saw little in the midfielder’s performance against Golden Arrows and argued that there were better options available in South African townships.

“There’s a kid we can get in Daveyton or Soweto or Spruit who is much better than this guy,” said Khanye on iDiski TV.

Khanye also questioned Mtasingwa’s ability to move forward with the ball and suggested that the player was avoiding responsibility in possession.

“If you can’t attack the space with the ball as an international player there’s a problem. If you can’t even turn as an international player, there’s nothing special. There’s nothing special about this guy, instead he plays safe and worse he doesn’t want to take responsibility.

The analyst further claimed that Lebohang Maboe was being forced to carry too much of the defensive and midfield workload because of Mtasingwa’s approach.

“[Lebohang] Maboe is going to get tired or get injured. Maboe is a defensive midfielder and also a box-to-box player and he’s doing both duties while Mtasingwa is there.

Khanye compared Mtasingwa’s display with that of former Kaizer Chiefs midfielder Akumu Agay, while saying Thabo Cele had offered more in the same position.

“This guy just added a number on the team sheet. He reminds me of [Akumu] Agay. [Thabo] Cele was even better because he fetches the ball, passes it and calls for it too.”

The defeat by Golden Arrows ended Kaizer Chiefs’ involvement in the MTN8 at the quarter-final stage and gave the club no opportunity to build on its pre-season success in the Toyota Cup.

Khanye’s complete assessment of the MTN8 quarter-final between Kaizer Chiefs and Golden Arrows is available on the official iDiski TV YouTube channel.

The comments were published by iDiski Times on 10 August 2026. The publication also said its Digital Newspaper is available free to download, with readers able either to use the download button or complete a form to receive it each week.