Chances are huge that veteran defender Eric Mathoho will leave Kaizer Chiefs at the end of the season, iDiski Times has learnt.
Chiefs, by all accounts, will finally say goodbye to one of their soldiers, who along with Itumeleng Khune are the sole survivors that won two league titles in Stuart Baxter’s first stint.
Mathoho’s contract with Chiefs will expire at the end of the season, and he has just appeared once this campaign, giving Chiefs little ammunition to offer him a new deal.
Even when he appeared in that game – a 2-1 win over SuperSport United in September, he entered the fray only in the 95th minute, when he replaced Edmilson Dove and referee Luxolo Badi blew the final whistle, which meant he had not kicked the ball.
But Mathoho has been mired by injuries, which was confirmed by coach Arthur Zwane time and time again this season. As a consequence of both lack of game-time and his injury record, Chiefs have seemingly decided against offering the 33-year-old a new deal, sources have told this publication.
The 33-year-old was one of first signings by Baxter in his first season in 2012/13 from Bloemfontein Celtic, featuring in 34 matches in all competitions as Chiefs won the double – the league and the Nedbank Cup.
He then formed a solid partnership with Tefu Mashamaite especially in the 2014/15 campaign, with the latter claiming the biggest prize in the PSL – PSL Footballer of the Season.
They were colossal at the back as Chiefs won another league title and the MTN8 trophy to complete another double. Sadly that was the last joy for Amakhosi to claim a major trophy.
With Mashamaite and Baxter leaving at the end of that season, Mathoho was never the same again with Chiefs and he has been in and out of the side.
In 11 seasons with Amakhosi, Mathoho has featured in 262 matches, scoring 28 goals in all competitions.
Story by Robin-Duke Madlala (@duke_robin).
