There are several theories that Nkosingiphile Ngcobo has been mollycoddled at Kaizer Chiefs. When will the club cut ties with him, if ever?
Is Ngcobo getting preferential treatment at Chiefs?
There’s no doubting Nkosingiphile Ngcobo’s ability as a footballer. However, his lack of durability and injury resistance has become a real problem. He’s now behind Lebo Maboe, Siphesihle Ndlovu and even the much-maligned Adolf Bitegeko in the midfield pecking order. His numbers also merit closer analysis.
Stats paint a dismal picture
His best campaign, in terms of appearances in the league, was 2020-21 when he made 25 outings and scored four goals. Injuries have ravaged subsequent seasons, limiting Ngcobo to 16 appearances in 2021-22, then 13 in 2022-23, 12 in 2023-24 and 11 in 2024-25. Last term, encouragingly, he made 16 league appearances. However, since the aforementioned campaign in 2021, Ngcobo hasn’t managed more than two goals in a single season. He’s only scored two goals in his last three Betway Premiership seasons combined. Injuries aren’t his fault, of course, but at some stage the club needs to be ruthless and/or philosophical about his squad status. The 26-year-old joined the first team in 2017 from the youth setup and has made 129 appearances in the jersey, scoring eight goals and supplying three assists.
Also read: Chiefs best and worst signings this winter
Fans are fed up
Emperer Crespo said: ‘Ngcobo has been at Chiefs since he was 10…It’s nepotism at its best. He’s being treated like Motaung’s last born. Should have been released four years ago.’
Nhlanhla_S wrote: ‘Pull up your socks, baba’ on a Facebook post showing Ngcobo in training.
Ngcobo nowhere to be seen in recent squads
After featuring in the club’s first two matches of the season (a win over Kruger United and a defeat to Golden Arrows in the MTN8), he hasn’t got a single minute in four subsequent matches. Ngcobo was an unused sub against Sundowns and was left out of matchday squads against Richards Bay, Sekhukhune, Siwelele and recently Polokwane City altogether. Perhaps this is a sign that his future lies elsewhere, after nine years in the first team. The big question, however, is how he is still around.
Unbeaten Kaizer Chiefs are looking good without Mshini
Chiefs beat Siwelele 3-2 with Mfundo Vilakazi and Wandile Duba among those on the score sheet. Lebo Maboe and Mdu Shabalala assisted Vilakazi and Duba respectively. The Glamour Boys are now unbeaten in their first six outings, winning three and drawing the other three after Saturday’s 1-1 stalemate with Polokwane City. Lebo Maboe scored the Chiefs goal from a Pule Mmodi Assist.
Chiefs fans, would you sell Nkosingiphile Ngcobo at the end of this season? Let us know by clicking the red comments banner just below this article 🙂