Kaizer Chiefs coach breaks silence on 'unfair' goalkeeper criticism

The South African

14-07-2025

Kaizer Chiefs goalkeeper coach Ilyez Mzoughi has defended the club's goalkeeping department, claiming fans were overly harsh in their judgement during a disappointing Betway Premiership campaign.
Mzoughi believes criticism of Bruce Bvuma, Brandon Petersen, and Fiacre Ntwari overlooked the difficult circumstances they faced throughout the season. Despite some memorable individual moments, Chiefs could only manage a ninth-place finish, conceding 39 goals in 30 league matches, a stat that lays bare the defensive frailties.
While each of the three goalkeepers had standout performances, the overall figures reflect clear room for improvement:
Bruce Bvuma, made 23 appearances, with eight clean sheets and 23 goals conceded.
Fiacre Ntwari managed 7 appearances, with one clean sheet and 11 goals conceded.
While Brandon Petersen only made 5 appearances, with one clean sheet too, and 5 goals conceded.
Mzoughi offered context for the underwhelming stats, citing disruptions in defence that impacted the entire squad.
'It was a tough season, not only for the goalkeepers, but for the whole team,' he said via the club's official website.
'We were unlucky with some injuries and suspensions of our defenders, which affected the goalies in particular, and the team in general.'
Despite the collective struggles, Mzoughi praised his trio for producing match-saving moments under pressure.
'Overall, I feel that all our goalkeepers made various excellent saves throughout the season, such as Bruce's magnificent save against Mamelodi Sundowns in the Nedbank Cup semis or Brandon's mature performance in the final.'
Mzoughi also addressed the controversial decision to start Petersen ahead of Bvuma in the Nedbank Cup final, a move that caught many supporters off guard.
'It was indeed a tough decision. Bruce had a bit of a lingering calf injury. He wasn't 100% fit.
'Brandon was working and training tremendously hard and, despite not having played a competitive match in seven months, I asked him: 'Are you ready to play a game?' He looked at me and answered: 'I am ready!' The rest is history.'
The Tunisian coach acknowledged the high expectations at Naturena but pleaded with fans to be more understanding of the challenges goalkeepers face.
'Our supporters can be very demanding, and rightly so, as we are a big club. But I do feel that they were at times too critical of our goalkeepers.
'We must be realistic and support them. It's important that our fans give our goalies love, irrespective of who is in goal, as we are one family.'
Will Kaizer Chiefs find a solution in goal?
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