Seale backs Kaizer Chiefs to topple Zamalek in Polokwane

A former Kaizer Chiefs defensive stalwart believes Amakhosi have the beating of Zamalek when the two clubs clash in Matchday two of the CAF Confederation Cup at Polokwane’s Peter Mokaba Stadium on Saturday.

Rudolph Gardner Seale, a Chiefs left-back from the late eighties to the early nineties, says the current Chiefs team is strong and has some seriously talented players who can hold their own against the continent’s best. Granted, Chiefs were beaten 2-1 by Zamalek’s fellow Egyptians El Masry in Suez on Matchday one last weekend, but that is not to say they are not good enough, according to Seale.

“Yes they can,” was his forthright answer when I asked him if Chiefs can beat Zamalek.

“I look at this team and everyone is good. Of course the Egyptians will be the favourites.

"We know that the Arabs, the North Africans, are old campaigners with lots of experience. But it is not a given that they will progress from this group. Chiefs have just as much the same chance as those two to go through. They just need to believe in themselves.”

Seale was part of the Chiefs team that played against Zamalek in the CAF Champions Cup way back in 1993 when South Africa first returned to continental football. Amakhosi were knocked out in the quarter-final via the away-goal rule following a 2-2 aggregate draw, Chiefs having won the home leg 2-1 but then beaten 1-0 in Cairo.

He believes the current Zamalek are not as strong as the side they met, though he admits they were a bit naïve after dominating the first leg. The Egyptians were, after all, knocked out by Stellenbosch last year — a factor Seale warns Chiefs to ignore.

“I’d tell them not to think of what happened last year. Remember, Zamalek were previously the big ones from Egypt, but in recent years they have had a fall and Al Ahly and even lately Pyramids are the top dogs from there.

"I believe they are there for the taking, as Stellenbosch showed. But Chiefs should not be concerning themselves about last year. Just focus on doing the job at hand.”

While he feels the Chiefs squad is teeming with talent, Seale worries about their application.

“These boys are all very good. But it does not mean they are conquerors. Their talent should be secondary to hard work.

"I played with Doctor (Khumalo) and Shoes (the late John Moshoeu) – highly talented players – but they worked hard. What I see lacking in these current boys is that they seem to forget they are playing for Chiefs. They have the advantage of talent, but they have no character – they are inconsistent.”

That much is proven by Chiefs’ see-saw results, particularly in the domestic scene. Continental football is different, however, and Seale is of the view that though comparisons between this team and the one he played in would be unfair, they should not be written off.

“We had the likes of (Albert) Bwalya, Shane, (Eric) September in our team and we had just conquered the NSL by winning the league and cup double the previous season. Now, we have these boys who are being conquered and the team is not really stable domestically. But we do not write them off internationally.”

Unlike Chiefs, Zamalek won their Matchday one tie at Zesco United 1-0 and will be cock-a-hoop when they trot on to the well-manicured pitch of the Peter Mokaba Stadium.