Former Kaizer Chiefs midfielder Thabiso Malatsi has called for the Betway Premiership club to bench goalkeeper Brandon Petersen.
The ‘keeper has made several costly errors so far in the 2026/27 season, the most recent of which saw him fumble a corner kick at his near post to concede an equaliser in Chiefs’ 1-1 draw away to Polokwane City last weekend.
Malatsi is sympathetic to the plight of Petersen, and argues that Chiefs coach Fernando Da Cruz should take the 31-year-old out of the starting line-up and replace him with Renaldo Leaner – not necessarily as a form of punishment for the player’s mistakes, but more to protect him from abuse by supporters.
“They have to put him on the bench and bring this boy from Sekhukhune (Leaner). Petersen has to rest. They have to rest him, he has a lot of things in his head, I don’t know what’s happening,” Malatsi told KickOff.
“And the coach can see that he is flat and obviously as a coach you protect your players. But he has to sit (on the bench) a little bit, so he can refocus. He has been making mistakes since the Sundowns game, Richards Bay, Polokwane City.
“They have to protect him, because you can see now that the supporters are angry,” Malatsi added.
Chiefs will play their final Betway Premiership match before the international break when they tackle Golden Arrows away from home on Sunday 20 September.
