It is going to take a lot of hard work and intense concentration to achieve our ambitions. But we are on the right track and we cannot afford to make any mistakes at this stage.

Our victory against Santos in the semifinal did not come easy. They are a solid side and almost gave us a fright. But our boys did very well to achieve such a great result and I must give credit to the players. Well done boys, you are simply the best and you can do it in the final.

The only problem that we have to deal with at this stage is lack of concentration in crucial stages of the game. Our loss against Ajax was simply due to lack of concentration and against Santos we did the same when they equalised.

But there’s so much pressure in games like these. We have to be extra careful in our approach.

The Club Africain victory is still fresh in our minds but it is now water under the bridge. The Tunisians are a very good side, and they did particularly well on the day, but our boys were outstanding as they did not allow them to play.

The atmosphere in Tunisia was not very hospitable, as you might have read in the papers and on our site. The Africain supporters totally misbehaved in the face of defeat but they must understand that, in football, you must take the good with the bad.

And supporters must at all times try and uphold the spirit of fair play.

But that historic victory is now water under the bridge and we must focus on our main goal of winning the Mandela Cup. We are off to Luanda for a clash with InterClube in the first leg of the final on November 17.

I have also realised that a number of players are facing a burnout due to not being rested and we will have to give them time to recover. Jabu for instance, has been running a lot and if not rested he might crack. This will give me the opportunity to blood in a few more players.

As I have indicated before, we have to stay focused and our next assignment is against Manning Rangers on Wednesday. The match will be at Ellis Park and I would like to appeal to our supporters to come in numbers to cheer the team on.

Love and Peace Must Increase!

Muhsin Ertugral


Kaizer Chiefs coach