R10 million star could debut for Bafana Bafana before Kaizer Chiefs
A star in the making.
Rushwin Dortley hasn’t played a competitive minute for Kaizer Chiefs but he could make his Bafana Bafana debut before that happens.
Dortley gets his Bafana Bafana call
22-year-old Rushwin Dortley has played age-group football for the national team before, but his first senior call-up came on Tuesday. He was called up to Hugo Broos’ preliminary squad for crunch Afcon qualifiers against Uganda on 06 September and South Sudan on 10 September. This preliminary group of 38 will be whittled down at some stage to 23 players. Even if he doesn’t make the cut, it’s a significant step in his progress to be in the manager’s thinking. It’s been a staggering rise for the left-footed central defender. His arrival has even cast some doubt over the future of Thatayaone Ditlhokwe at Naturena.
Kaizer Chiefs get their man from Cape Town Spurs
Chiefs successfully negotiated a R10 million deal to sign Dortley from Mother City side Spurs. They haven’t been quite as successful in their pursuit of 21-year-old Asanele Velebayi, however. The winger will stay put at Spurs after their CEO wasn’t satisfied with the offer Chiefs tabled.
Preliminary Bafana squad ICYMI
The 38-man squad includes three Chiefs players and seven from Orlando Pirates.
Chiefs’ first five in the Betway Premiership
Chiefs get their 2024-2025 campaign underway with a trip to Marumo Gallants. Here’s what fans can expect in the opening weeks, including testing assignments against the champions and last season’s seventh-place finishers SuperSport. Nabi hopes to have new signings, such as Fiacre Ntwari, Dortley, Bongani Sam, Gaston Sirino, and Inacio Miguel, all integrated, fit, and firing. He’ll also want to have a few more names on board by then. The transfer window closes on 20 September, by which time Dortley could already be a full Bafana international.
- Marumo Gallants vs Chiefs – Saturday, 14 September, Toyota Stadium, 17:30
- Chiefs vs Stellenbosch – Sunday, 22 September, FNB Stadium, 15:00
- AmaZulu vs Chiefs – Wednesday, 25 September, King Zwelithini Stadium, 19:30
- Chiefs vs Sundowns – Saturday, 28 September, FNB Stadium, 15:00
- SuperSport United vs Chiefs – Saturday, 26 October, Lucas Moripe Stadium, 17:30
Is Dortley worth the hype, Amakhosi fans?
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Kaizer Chiefs finished the 2023-2024 league campaign in tenth position, their worst placing in the history of the DStv Premiership. Their last league title came back in 2015, their most recent piece of major silverware. They begin the new 2024-2025 Betway Premiership campaign away to Marumo Gallants on 14 September.