Brian Baloyi tells fellow Kaizer Chiefs legend Itumeleng Khune to consider retring from professional football - 'He played less than 50 games, had fitness challenges, being overweight'

Kaizer Chiefs legend Itumeleng Khune has been insisting his body is ready and could play well, past his 40s.

However, the Glamour Boys were not ready to give him that chance because they felt his best days on the pitch were over. 

His role model and fellow former Amakhosi goalkeeper Brian Baloyi has told him to consider retiring from professional football.

"In the last five years, I think he played less than 50 games. He had fitness challenges, being overweight and all that," the former Mamelodi Sundowns star told the Sowetan.

"I feel for him, he is my boy and I wanted him to go overseas in his prime. But now there are factors working against him. He has to ask himself whether the effort he’s put in the last five years merits another contract. He should say, ‘Have I done enough?’ He should be honest with himself.

"Coaches at Chiefs are under pressure. They can’t take a risk on a player who hasn’t played that much in the last five years. It’s a challenge for Khune because it might mean he has to go to a smaller team and even there, he will have to prove his fitness," Baloyi continued.

"Accepting that your time is over is not easy. I missed out on selection for the 2010 World Cup and concluded that I had nothing to play for. I made the decision. In SA a lot of players don’t retire out of their own volition.  

"It’s difficult to walk away from the game in your mid-30s when it’s all you’ve known. Sport doesn’t equip players with a good platform to prepare for the end. Counseling is required to make players accept that the curtain has fallen," he concluded.

Even after the exit of Khune, the Soweto giants have been struggling defensively in the 2024/25 campaign across all competitions. 

Ntwari is yet to keep a clean sheet in the Premier Soccer League where Chiefs have conceded eight goals in the five matches played.

In the Carling Knockout, they shipped in four goals to nothing as Mamelodi Sundowns secured their semi-final ticket and eventually the final one. The only clean sheet so far came in the annual competition against SuperSport United in the Round of 16.

PSL is on an international break which gives coach Nasreddine Nabi a chance to work on defensive frailties.

They will then play Richards Bay on Wednesday, April 27 on the league assignment after the international pause.