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Caf Champions League: Kaizer Chiefs enjoying the moment, looking to make history - Katsande
Following a difficult season on the domestic front, Amakhosi surprisingly reached the final of Africa’s elite club football competition
Kaizer Chiefs midfielder Willard Katsande says they are not in the Caf Champions League final just to make up the numbers as they prepare to face Al Ahly on July 17.
The match scheduled for neutral Stade Mohamed V Stadium in Casablanca is in itself history for Chiefs, who have never participated at this stage of the competition.
But Katsande is looking to further make history against record nine-time African champions Al Ahly, who are also the titleholders.
“The Caf Champions League final is huge; [it is] the biggest stage in African club football and you don’t know if you will make it again in your lifetime,” Katsande told The Sunday Mail.
“The club hasn't been there; it’s the first time and I am part and parcel of the group. I am blessed. It’s not all players who play African football who end up playing in a Champions League final.
“We are enjoying the moment and we are going there [to the final] not to make numbers but to make history. We just want to make it a reality that will be stuck in Chiefs’ history for the rest of our lives.
"We want to do this for the chairman, especially after a bad season [domestically].”
Katsande is the oldest player in the current Chiefs squad and he placed emphasis on claiming silverware on July 17 as there might be no other opportunity to do so.
The former Zimbabwe captain even hints at nearing retirement and says he wants to pave the way for his compatriots to play for Amakhosi.
“We are coming to the end of our careers and we want to enjoy our game, so if you win the big like this one, you will say, ‘Wow, I did it.’ I want to be a role model for all the foreign players who want to come to play for Chiefs,” continued Katsande.
“You might take it lightly now, but when you retire you will realise you have done something for the game. I have been here [at Kaizer Chiefs] for 10 years now, but I am not doing it for myself.
"I am planting a seed for the next generation of Zimbabweans who will come here to play for Chiefs. They will know that this is their home.”
Remarkably, Chiefs are yet to concede at home in the Champions League and it is yet to be seen if they will hold their own against Pitso Mosimane’s Al Ahly.
