Kaizer Chiefs' Doctor Khumalo has blunt message for clubs celebrating Mamelodi Sundowns' struggles

Bafana Bafana and Kaizer Chiefs legend Doctor Khumalo believes South African football would gain nothing from a weakened Mamelodi Sundowns, insisting that the national team and the PSL need "Masandawana" operating at full strength.

Khumalo was speaking on Tuesday morning as a Chiefs ambassador during the club’s partnership announcement with Carling Black Label. He reflected on a compelling 2025/26 season that has seen Orlando Pirates, Sundowns, and Kaizer Chiefs locked in a familiar battle at the summit of the Betway Premiership.

With Sundowns dealing with reported off-field issues within their technical setup, Khumalo was asked whether Chiefs — or any rival — should view the situation as an opportunity to capitalise. The former midfield maestro dismissed the idea outright.

“It’s okay to pose it in that fashion [teams must take advantage of Sundowns’ situation], but I would want to see any team in the PSL challenge Sundowns without problems,” Khumalo said at the AB InBev headquarters in Bryanston.

“Why do you have to wait for them to be crippled and then you take advantage of that, when they are not at their best and you want to say you are the best?”

For Khumalo, true credibility comes from competing against Sundowns at full capacity — not when they are distracted by internal turbulence.

“They have their internal problems; you, yourself, fix yourself and face them when they don’t have problems, then I will take my hat off and salute. But at the moment, I can’t say that. You’re waiting for a situation when there’s a crisis in the club,” he said.

He went further, cautioning against hollow celebrations built on another club’s instability.

“Then you want to come and celebrate saying, 'I’ve beaten Sundowns'... no. They are going through a phase. It’s football problems, so I just hope and wish they overcome that and become the Sundowns we know. They make the PSL exciting and produce players for South Africa — we can’t celebrate when Sundowns have problems.”

Beyond club rivalry, Khumalo stressed Sundowns’ broader importance to Bafana Bafana and South Africa’s international standing.

“I’m praying and hoping they resolve their problems. We can’t afford to lose Sundowns, especially on the continent.”

He illustrated the point with a telling anecdote. “When the draw was made for the World Cup, they asked the Mexican coach, 'What do you think of South Africa?' He answered by saying, ‘I saw Sundowns in the FIFA Club World Cup.’”

For Khumalo, that respect matters. “These guys have taken the pride of the nation to another level," he remarked. "Countries respect South African football because of Sundowns, Pirates, and all the teams that have played outside South Africa.”

In his view, a strong league — and a stronger national team — begins with its biggest clubs standing tall, not stumbling.