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Zondo wants Royal AM to avoid what befell Chiefs after Caf games
'There are teams who went to the Caf games and when they came back to the local games things didn’t go well for them,' says Zondo
Khabo Zondo has a warning for his Royal AM side as they prepare to play in the Caf Champions League this season. Picture: Lefty Shivambu/Gallo Images.
Khabo Zondo has expressed how he wants his Royal AM team to not follow the way of Kaizer Chiefs after their Caf Champions League campaign.
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The Champions League can be a taxing campaign that drains a team and leaves it depleted, and Zondo has seen that happen with Chiefs.
This is why he is now ensuring that his new team Royal AM does not fall into the same pit as Amakhosi.
Chiefs failed to keep the same spark in the DStv Premiership after they had had a good Champions League run where they lost to Al Ahly in the final two seasons ago.
“We want to do well in both the Caf and PSL games,” said Zondo in a recent interview during the launch of the KwaZulu-Natal Premier’s Cup.
“You must bear in mind that the Caf games tend to be different to what we have here at home.
“If we win (in Caf games) that would be a good thing to happen but if we don’t, that would not be the end of the world. But where we really need to do well is in the PSL where we have to be competitive like we were last season.”
He then made a reference to Chiefs’ failure to get back into good shape after their Caf run. He said Mamelodi Sundowns are able to keep the consistency only because they are well equipped.
“There are teams who went to the Caf games and when they came back to the local games things didn’t go well for them. That taught us very important lessons,” said Zondo.
“One of those teams is Kaizer Chiefs. You can all see how long it has taken them to get back in shape after their Caf campaign. Sundowns do not take long to recover because they are well resourced in terms of quality players.
“That is what we also have to get right in our team. It will not be any good for us to do well on the continent while we cannot get wins at home.
“We have to have players who are capable of doing the job… those who will be left behind (when we go to Caf games) should be able to get the job done in local games,” explained the 60-year-old mentor.
