Sithebe has score to settle with ex-club

After his rather rancorous exit from AmaZulu in the off-season, Kaizer Chiefs midfielder Siyethemba Sithebe is not hiding that he is always eager to punish Usuthu when he faces them.

Having played a goalless draw in the Premier Soccer League at FNB Stadium early this month, Chiefs and AmaZulu lock horns again, now in the MTN8 semifinal first leg at the same venue on Sunday (3.30pm). The return fixture is at Moses Mabhida Stadium on October 23.

After discovering that he had penned a precontract with Chiefs, AmaZulu punished Sithebe by freezing him out for the entire second half of last season until he officially became a Glamour Boy in the off-season.

Usuthu owner Sandile Zungu lambasted Chiefs, saying they were not honest in the deal. The dreadlocked midfielder also spoke about the importance of winning to regain the supporters’ trust.

Now, Sithebe is hell-bent on defeating Usuthu with his Chiefs teammates. In the league tie against his former employers, Sithebe wasn’t as effective.

“When I face AmaZulu, I have that thing in my mind that tells me to do more, especially because I didn’t leave well. I always want to give more than 100% against AmaZulu. It will be nice for me to punish them though there’s no bad blood between us now,” Sithebe said. “Even in the last game against them, I wanted a win because I know a draw isn’t as sweet. We want to win this game to take the pressure off our shoulders. We know if we can start winning games, our fans will start to believe in us again.”

The 29-year-old Sithebe boasts just eight goals and nine assists from over 129 top-flight games since he cut his professional teeth at Usuthu in 2017. As an attacking midfielder, Sithebe admits his stats aren’t good enough, aiming to improve.

“I know that I need to score goals and get assists so that I will be the best in my position. My numbers aren’t good enough, I know and my aim is to try to fix this as soon as possible ... I feel the pressure since I am not scoring goals,” noted Sithebe.