Kaizer Chefs players still traumatised by Moses Mabhida Stadium violence
JOHANNESBURG - Patrick Mabedi is not thinking beyond his mandate of leading Kaizer Chiefs in their remaining two league matches.
The former Malawian international is in temporary charge of Amakhosi after coach Steve Komphela quit his post in a huff following last weekend's 2-0 Nedbank Cup semifinal defeat by Free State Stars.
Mabedi got a baptism of fire in the hotseat on Tuesday evening with Chiefs suffering a 3-1 spanking at Golden Arrows.
READ MORE: Different coach, same results as Chiefs fall to straight-shooting Arrows
“In football you don’t talk about the future. I always say only God knows about your future. My task is to go out there and do the job,” he explained after the match.
"I can’t make the call about my future. It is the people who assess my job who will be able to say I’m good or bad. I just have to go out there and do my job normally and let whoever will decide, make up their minds."
The man who led Chiefs to two league titles as captain during his playing days is simply focused on helping the club finish the season on a high.
Yet if the start against Arrows is anything to go by, Mabedi faces an uphill task.
He was quick to explain the loss to Arrows.
“We started very badly. What made it worse it is the early goal we conceded. The players tried to play well. The red card (Leonardo Castro was sent off on 15 minutes) also affected us and it was so quick. It was to harsh to me. We completely lost shape and composure,” Mabedi said.
Also affecting Chiefs negatively, the stand in coach said, were the pyschological scars from the violent ending to their clash with Stars at the weekend.
“It happened the way it happened. You can’t say you are going to change anything quickly. You need to adapt and go on," Mabedi stated.
"I think it was traumatic for the players. They were also affected. I think we just need to accept what happened and move on. We don’t have to make excuses."
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He knows, however, that he is essentially on probation of sorts, a good showing in the last two matches could have a bearing on whether he remains within the technical team, no matter who Chiefs hire as their new coach for the following season.
And what would stand him in good stead is if he helped Chiefs secure a position that will see the club participating in continental competition next year.
With a runners-up berth out of question, Chiefs's best hope of qualifying for the Caf Confederation Cup is for them to finish third. They are currently fourth on 42 points, the same as Maritzburg United who have played a match less.
The Team of Choice are next up for Amakhosi this weekend before they wrap the season up at Ajax Cape Town.
The Star