Kaizer Chiefs legend Itumeleng Khune has recalled a time back in 2011 when vile insults were aimed at him after their MTN8 final defeat to Orlando Pirates.
The 38-year-old made close to 350 appearances for his boyhood club since coming through the development ranks in 2004 and just nine shy of 100 appearances for Bafana Bafana.
During Amakhosi’s crushing 3-0 defeat to the Buccaneers in the Soweto Derby last weekend, Khune was one of the club’s legends who expressed his dissatisfaction.
He called out the current crop of players for ‘total disrespect’ towards the Chairman (Dr Kaizer Motaung Snr), the brand itself, legends as well as the fans and supporters following their dismal showing in the biggest spectacle on the local football calendar.
Speaking to Thabiso Sithole on eNCA, the retired shot stopper reminisced on how people swore at him on social media after they had lost that final against Pirates.
“At some point also for me, distractions almost destroyed me,” he said.
“2008 [it was actually in 2011], I think we lost the final to Pirates at FNB, MTN8 when [Oupa] Manyisa hit me with a long range.
“As soon as I got to the change room, I took my phone I was looking at the comments.
“People were swearing at me. I deleted my app. I was like, ‘This is the distraction I don’t want.’
“I need to go back, regroup but the more I kept opening these apps, people are swearing at me, swearing at my mother.
“Fortunately, the position I was at, I couldn’t swear back.
“I’m the captain of the club, I’m the captain of the national team, I couldn’t swear back.
“Then I was like the only thing to do and the easiest, is to delete the apps.
“Then I deleted because I was used to people praising me. I’m used to people giving me my flowers.
“But now, we just lost MTN8 final. R8 million gone, bragging rights gone.
“Now, people are expressing themselves in a way that I’m not used to.
“It was not easy. Like I said it had to take that one game for one to see that people can turn against you any given time.”
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