Marcel Dandjinou’s long wait for Betway Premiership debut finally ends with Kruger United

Marcel Dandjinou’s five-and-a-half-year wait to play in the Betway Premiership ended when he started in goal for Kruger United against Kaizer Chiefs on Saturday.

The 28-year-old goalkeeper, who represents Benin at international level, had spent years competing in the Motsepe Foundation Championship before finally earning his chance in South Africa’s top division.

Dandjinou joined JDR Stars in January 2021 after moving from Benin. He remained with the club for four-and-a-half years, helping them through numerous challenges before joining Kruger United last year.

Despite never having played in the Betway Premiership, he has established himself as Benin’s first-choice goalkeeper. Gernot Rohr has continued to select him since taking charge of the national team three years ago, handing Dandjinou 23 caps.

He was the goalkeeper as Kruger United secured promotion and was the only player from the Motsepe Foundation Championship selected for the AFCON finals earlier this year.

Dandjinou was also the first player in Kruger United’s history to represent the club at the tournament. He featured in three matches, including Benin’s defeats by Senegal and Egypt.

He started Benin’s most recent meeting with Bafana Bafana in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, further underlining his importance to the national side despite spending his club career outside the top flight.

Dandjinou’s route to the Betway Premiership was shaped by persistence, as well as a series of attempts by his representative, Michel Sinha, to secure him a move to the division. Chippa United were among the clubs considered in previous years, but no deal materialised.

“I took him from a club in Benin to South Africa, and his first trial was at Cape Town All Stars,” his agent Michel Sinha told KickOff.com before.

“I paid for his food and accommodation for two weeks while he was there.

“The goalkeeper coach at the time was Calvin Marlin, and he really wanted him at the club, but they didn’t sign him for other reasons.”

Sinha then arranged Dandjinou’s move from Cape Town to Pretoria, where the goalkeeper stayed with his representative before impressing at JDR Stars.

“So, from there, I bought a bus ticket from Cape Town to Pretoria, where he even stayed with me for a few days before impressing at JDR Stars.

“The JDR boss (Nditsheni Nemasisi) was impressed from the first day and signed him a week later.

“He is now with Kruger, where I feel he will perform well again.

“I think he is the only keeper from the First Division who will be going to the AFCON finals at the end of the year, which will be of benefit to Kruger,” says Sinha.

Dandjinou’s appearance against Kaizer Chiefs therefore represented more than a first outing in the Betway Premiership. It marked the conclusion of a lengthy journey that began with his move from Benin, continued through years in the Motsepe Foundation Championship and eventually led to promotion with Kruger United.