Shongwe defends Kaizer Chiefs dressing room leader

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Former Kaizer Chiefs goalkeeper William Shongwe has defended Amakhosi shotstopper Brandon Petersen for his antics on the touchline, saying he wasn’t taking over from Nasreddine Nabi.

The 30-year-old has not featured much this season for Chiefs but remains very vocal on the bench next to coach Nabi. Petersen first caught attention when he was caught relaying instructions to the players during Cavin Johnson’s tenure. The two even had a heated argument after Amakhosi lost the Soweto derby last year.

Shongwe though, feels that Peterson is a natural leader and is only assisting Nabi to get the message to Chiefs players.

“Brandon Petersen is sometimes misunderstood and accused of trying to take over the head coaching job by giving more instructions than the actual head coach,” Shongwe told KickOff.

“But in football, we have players like that. He is a team player, regardless of whether he is playing or not.

“If he is not on the field, he can still contribute from the sidelines. Instead of focusing on the negatives of his behavior, I prefer to look at the positives of what he does for the team. I appreciate that.”

Petersen has been instructing Chiefs players on the bench alongside Nabi

“He is a captain without an armband; he is a natural leader. You need players like that in your team—players who will energize the bench and inspire those on the field.

“A head coach cannot do everything alone; a team must work together to win games.”

Chiefs have struggled for consistency under Nabi this season despite reaching the Nedbank Cup final. Shongwe feels Petersen is making the job easier for the coaches on the bench by shouting instructions.

“For me, Petersen fulfills that role. He is getting red cards while sitting on the bench because he is taking one for the team. He is protecting the coach, which is preferable—it’s better for a player to be sent off than the coach.

“It’s encouraging to see that the Chiefs coach (Nabi) appreciates his viewpoints and concerns. Overall, it’s a positive situation for me.”