Kaizer Chiefs have had three players called up to the South African National U-23 team. Defender Siyabonga Ngezana and midfielders Nkosingiphile Ngcobo and Njabulo Blom will be part of the squad that will take on their Saudi Arabian counterparts in back to back friendly games at the spectacular King Abdullah Sports City Complex, which is on the outskirts of the Red Sea Port city of Jeddah. The games will take place Sunday 14 and Tuesday 16 November.
Njabulo Blom
The Chiefs players are part of David Notoane’s plans as the national U-23 team coach looks to give his charges game time ahead of next years Tokyo Olympics which Amaglug-Glug as well as the Saudi’s have qualified for. Ngcobo has featured almost regularly in the current campaign for Amakhosi under coach Gavin Hunt and while he has played for the national U-20 team, this will be his first foray with the u-23 national team.
Nkhosingiphile Ngcobo
Meanwhile, Ngezana is a regular feature in the national U-23 team. The lanky defender was part of the U-23 national team when they finished third at the 2019 CAF U-23 Championships, thereby earning their place at the Tokyo Olympics.
For 20-year-old Chiefs youth product Njabulo Blom, a call up to the national U-23 team is a progression up the ranks for the former SA U-20 international. The game against the Saudi’s will give him the chance to further test himself as he, Ngezana and Ngcobo will be looking to stake a claim in the team that will travel to next year’s Olympics.
Siyabonga Ngezana
The Saudi U-23 team have been in camp for almost a week and qualified for next year’s Olympic games by finishing as runners up to Korea Republic earlier back in January at the 2020 AFC U-23 Championships in Thailand.
Both games between SA U-23 and their Saudi hosts will kick off at 15:50 SA time, which is 16:50 local time. The players should return to Chiefs on the 18 November.
This article was previously published on KaizerChiefs.com
