PSL title-winning Amakhosi captain cautions Kaizer Chiefs star Yusuf Maart over club captaincy - 'You have to know what you are signing yourself up for when you put on your boots'

Former Kaizer Chiefs captain Tefu Mashamaite has challenged Yusuf Maart to prove why he is Amakhosi's skipper.

Mashamaite's challenge comes after a season that Maart was subjected to unending criticism, with some questioning his leadership skills.

Now, Maart has been asked to embrace the challenge and redeem himself.

“That’s the nature of the game; you are a hero one minute and then a zero the next minute,” Mashamaite told iDiski Times.

“So you have to know what you are signing yourself up for when you put on your boots. I’m just happy for him to be able to score the winning goal as a captain; that’s the stuff of leadership.

“You know the stakes are high, and you raise your hand and say, ‘I deserve this armband. I’m showing you guys why the team has believed in him and has chosen me as a leader’," he added.

“I’m happy for the young man. He deserves all the happiness with all the blame and everything; he’s just been grinding and being present. So it should be a moment of redemption for him, finally, and also to put his prints on the history of Kaizer Chiefs.”

Maart has been one of the most criticised Amakhosi players as the team struggled, especially in the Premier Soccer League.

However, the midfielder was the hero when the Glamour Boys ended a long trophy drought when they defeated arch-rivals Orlando Pirates to lift the Nedbank Cup. He scored the winning goal to hand Chiefs the trophy and the derby bragging rights.

Despite that achievement, Maart and his coach were not off the hook yet, given that they continued to be put under the spotlight. Missing out on the top eight and general struggle in the league did not spare them from persistent criticism.

Now, Mashamaite, who was the last Amakhosi captain to lift a trophy in 2015, has challenged Maart to embrace the criticism and prove why he deserves the armband.

His, and of course the teammates', hope is that they will build on the Nedbank success when the 2025/26 season comes.

Amakhosi are expected to strengthen the playing unit, and that will raise expectations of the fans, who are eager to see their team challenge for more trophies.

Should Maart guide the Glamour Boys to more success, he will indeed establish himself as a legend of the club.