Yusuf Maart reveals how Kaizer Chiefs fan abuse fuelled his European dream – ’They couldn’t break me’

Yusuf Maart’s tenure at Kaizer Chiefs was a rollercoaster of extreme highs and challenging lows.

After joining from Sekhukhune United in 2022, he immediately earned a spot in the club’s history with a sensational goal from his own half against Orlando Pirates.

However, as the club struggled for consistency, Maart often became the lightning rod for supporter frustration, leading to audible booing from the stands.

Reflecting on those difficult moments, Maart revealed that the negativity did not have the intended effect.

“When I was at Chiefs, I was playing 90 percent of the games. People didn’t like it, you know, fans criticised me.

There was one game where I missed a penalty and everyone booed me,” Maart told Soccerbeat.

“At that time, it motivated me. I got excited because I was feeding off that energy. They never knew what I went through to be where I am today.

They couldn’t break me. They made me stronger.”

Despite the friction with some sections of the fanbase, Maart remained a vital part of the technical team's plans and even wore the captain's armband.

His final significant act for the club was a dramatic late winner against Pirates in the Nedbank Cup final, a moment that secured silverware and offered a perfect parting gift.

Even so, the 30-year-old felt that his time in South Africa had reached its natural conclusion when Austrian side SV Ried came calling.

The midfielder explained that the opportunity to test himself abroad was too significant to turn down at this stage of his career.

“For me, it was an opportunity at my age,” he said.

“They said we could talk again about it.

"When Ried got promoted, I went home to enjoy my holiday in Cape Town.

"I came back and trained with Chiefs for two or three weeks, but they were calling on the other side.”

While some players might have preferred the security of a new contract at one of Africa's biggest clubs, Maart was focused on personal growth.

He confirmed that the leadership at Kaizer Chiefs was not looking to sell him and actively campaigned for him to remain at the club to lead the squad into the new season.

However, the pull of the European game proved too strong to ignore.

Maart detailed the final conversations he had with the club before his departure in July.

“The Chiefs coaches asked me to stay, but I said it’s an opportunity I don’t want to miss…to play in Europe and see what it feels like,” Maart added.

His move to Austria marked the end of a complicated relationship with the Chiefs supporters, leaving behind a legacy defined by both incredible individual moments and the heavy burden of captaining a club under immense pressure.

Maart boasts just six caps for Bafana Bafana, dating back to 2021 in the COSAFA Cup.

Does he have any chance of a potential invitation to the squad for the 2026 Fifa World Cup?

It seems unlikely, considering his long absence from the team, the fact he's more of a hard worker than a visionary at European club level and he's over 30 years of age.

SV Ried, who earned promotion from the 2. Liga to Austrian Bundesliga last season, finished ninth in the 2025-26 regular season, failing to qualify for the Championship round.

Maart and his team are participating in the Relegation round, with two more games left, against Wolfsberger AC on 09/5 and Aitech on 16/5.