Ex-Kaizer Chiefs striker Castro makes sensational Zwane-Amakhosi transfer claim

Former Kaizer Chiefs player Leonardo Castro claims coach Arthur Zwane is not in charge of signings at Amakhosi and has players imposed on him.

Chiefs have so far signed seven players after offloading 12 including Castro, Samir Nurkovic, Daniel Akpeyi, Ramahlwe Mphahlele, Lebogang Manyama and Daniel Cardoso.

Castro says Zwane intended to keep certain players but the club's upper management forced him to release them.

“Coach Arthur was transparent, but things happened so fast in a short space of time,” Castro told Soccer Laduma.

“For him, I can say when you come from the development and they give you this big break, maybe he’s not fully in power.

“Let me make an example. If you bring a coach from overseas, the head coach is going to look at the squad and he’s going to bring the players that he wants.

“Right? For me, Arthur has been there with us for some time as an assistant under different coaches, so a lot happened in a short period after he was announced as a head coach. He cannot bring the players that he wants.

“Maybe they said he needs to work with these players or whatever. The economy is also not right at the moment. Coach Arthur wanted to keep some players and then the management said no, you know.”

Zwane was appointed head coach following a few years with the club’s development teams as well as being assistant coach to Gavin Hunt and Stuart Baxter.

Some of the players released after Zwane was confirmed as head coach were let go despite not being poor performers, like Nurkovic and Akpeyi.

Castro has now commented on his own exit as he has now left South Africa and has hinted at resuming his career in his native Colombia or another South American country.

“I had a good relationship with him, the management and everyone at the club, so, I spoke to all of them before I left,” added Castro.

“I parted ways with Chiefs in a good way because I understood the team’s plans and I accepted the situation.

“I was professional with the team and you never heard anything wrong about my lifestyle or anything like that. Life is simple when you understand and accept the situation. That’s why it was easy for me to say goodbye to Chiefs.”

Castro failed to score a single goal in 13 games across all competitions last season in which he struggled with injuries.