Amakhosi Out, Nsingizini to face Richards Bay
Malanti Chiefs winger Gift Namieg fighting for the ball against Highlanders Siyabonga Mkhonto during the MTN Premier League which ended in a 1all draw at Killarney Stadium on Sunday.
By Chris Dlamini
The Mangosuthu Legacy Cup 2025 will go ahead on Saturday without Kaizer Chiefs.
The South African (SA) Soweto giants have pulled out of the tournament. They had been scheduled to face Eswatini’s Nsingizini Hotspurs on November 16 at the Mangosuthu Regional Stadium in Ulundi, SA.
However, Amakhosi, as Chiefs are also affectionately known, have officially withdrawn themselves from the tournament.
Noteworthy is that the tournament had already been postponed once due to TotalEnergies CAF Champions League and TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup engagements by both Nsingizini and Chiefs.
The former is now out of the Champions League, while Amakhosi made it through to the group stage in the Confederation Cup.
In a media statement by the Zululand District Municipality on Sunday, Richards Bay will be replacing them. It is now Richards Bay to play Nsingizini in the second semi-final on Saturday at 12pm.
In the first semi-final, it will be Betway Premiership side Amazulu against Patrice Motsepe Foundation outfit Njampela at 9am.
The latter are also the defending champions after winning last year’s edition. As per the statement, the decision to withdraw was confirmed by Chiefs in a letter to the Organising Committee, whereby the Confederation Cup is once again cited.
An excerpt from the letter read, “This difficult decision has been necessitated primarily by the unfortunate changes to our international fixture following the CAF Confederation Cup group stages, which was concluded earlier this week.
“The draw has imposed specific travel logistics and preparatory requirements they directly interfere with our participation in the tournament.
As a club with a proud history on the continent, our commitment to CAF tournaments must take precedence and the revised schedule leaves us unable to fulfil our obligation to your event without compromising our performance and obligations”.
As a resolution, the Municipality will continue to deliver to the people of Zululand the tournament as scheduled for Saturday. In the place of Chiefs, Richards Bay will be the fourth team.
