Kaizer Chiefs great Pollen Ndlanya has questioned how the club identifies and signs players, arguing that the problems at the Soweto side go beyond any single result, according to Goal.com. His comments come as Chiefs prepare to host Zambia's Red Arrows in the second leg of their CAF Confederation Cup tie at Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban on Friday, needing to overturn a 1-0 first-leg defeat.
Fernando Da Cruz's side lost the opening match in Zambia, leaving their hopes of reaching the group stages hanging on the return fixture. Ndlanya, a former Amakhosi striker, told The Citizen, as reported by Goal.com, that missing out on the group phase would be a serious blow to a club of Chiefs' standing.
Why it matters
Chiefs reached the Confederation Cup group stages last season under co-coaches Khalil Ben Youssef and Cedric Kaze. Falling at this stage would mark a step backwards for the club and would sharpen scrutiny on both the technical team and those responsible for building the squad.
For Ndlanya, the concern is structural rather than confined to Friday's match. He said the people in charge of transfers need to ensure the players arriving at the club actually fit what the team is trying to do.
Recruitment under the spotlight
The former forward was careful not to write off the current squad. He said there are good players at the club, but argued that signing well is about matching individuals to the team's identity and the way it wants to play.
"That is why I sometimes wonder who is responsible for recruitment at Chiefs," Ndlanya said, according to Goal.com's account of his remarks to The Citizen. He added that those making the decisions must make sure new arrivals are suited to the club's needs.
His remarks place the club's hierarchy, as much as the coaching staff, under examination. Ndlanya suggested the current approach lacks a clear sense of direction, which he sees as a root cause of inconsistent results in recent seasons.
A call to promote from within
Ndlanya's proposed remedy is a greater reliance on the club's academy. He wants to see promising young players brought into the senior setup and given a genuine opportunity to compete for starting places.
"They need to improve the quality of their squad and give their development players a chance," he said, per Goal.com. He argued that several youngsters should be promoted and allowed to fight for positions, with the aim of building a side that can perform consistently rather than relying on short-term fixes.
That view adds pressure on Da Cruz to look inward for answers during a difficult spell. It also implies a shift in how the club weighs immediate results against longer-term squad building.
What to watch
The second leg in Durban is now a test of both the team's direction and the suitability of the players currently wearing the gold and black. A home crowd is expected to demand an intense performance, and Chiefs must find a way to erase the deficit against Red Arrows to keep their continental campaign alive.
A place in the group stages would ease some of the pressure. An early exit would intensify the debate Ndlanya has started about who chooses the players and whether the current squad is built for the club's ambitions.
