'Best in Africa Fiacre Ntwari' tipped to get past Brandon Petersen at Kaizer Chiefs - 'He will prove to everyone that he is the best'

Kaizer Chiefs struggled to find Itumeleng Khune's replacement in goal after the struggles of Brandon Petersen and Bruce Bvuma, who made costly mistakes.

Rwanda international Fiacre Ntwari was signed from TS Galaxy to offer a permanent solution.

However, he didn't settle as fast as expected owing to the rough path the team was on. 

Ntwari was given his chance, but his mistakes saw Petersen get back as the team's first choice.

Coach Nasreddine Nabi has since stuck with the latter since late last season, when he helped Amakhosi win the Nedbank Cup.

The 30-year-old has started the 2025/26 season well, conceding no goals in the five Premier Soccer League matches played so far.

Ntwari has not made any competitive appearance for Amakhosi this season, but he had a good game despite Rwanda's 1-0 loss against Nigeria in Group C's FIFA World Cup qualifier played on Saturday.

Amavubi coach Adel Amrouche is convinced Ntwari is among the best on the continent. 

“It’s a challenging situation because I see Fiacre Ntwari in our national team, and to me, he is one of the best goalkeepers in Africa. Yet he is not playing for his club,” he told FARPost.

“It’s a huge challenge, but we trust him completely and he always delivers for us. 

His recent performance against Nigeria showed everyone what he is capable of, and I will never hesitate to field him," Amrouche added.

The 57-year-old tactician is convinced the Amavubi star will eventually beat Petersen to the starting berth at Amakhosi.

“Kaizer Chiefs have a good goalkeeper in Fiacre. Joining a big team like Chiefs demands good adaptation," Amrouche continued.

"He joined a team that had just brought in a new technical team. The team had not performed well for a long time and was not doing very well, so it was not just him. 

"I’ve told him he needs to stay focused, remain professional, and train hard. When his chance comes again, I know he will prove to everyone that he is the best. This will certainly be his season," he concluded.

It will be tough to convince Nabi that he has what it takes to start in goal, but Ntwari has no option but to try.

The best way to prove his readiness is to push hard in training; he has to get back in the starting team and play regularly or risk losing his spot in the national team.