I should have listened - Chippa Utd coach blames himself for not listening to Nwabali

I should have listened - Chippa Utd coach blames himself for not listening to Nwabali

Hassan Abdulsalam 20:25 - 10.02.2025

Chippa United coach has admitted his mistake of playing grieving Nwabali

Chippa United coach Thabo September has acknowledged his mistake in playing goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali, who had requested a rest due to the tragic loss of both his parents.

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Nwabali, the Super Eagles goalkeeper, had lost his father in November and his mother just two months later.

What September said

Despite his emotional turmoil, September opted to play Nwabali, a decision he now regrets.

In the game, the former Lobi Stars goalkeeper made a mistake in the 80th minute which gifted Galaxy a late goal at Mbombela.

After making an initial save, the goalie attempted to quickly distribute the ball to a teammate but instead threw it directly to Damir Sosvic, who capitalised on the error.

"Where we lost it, maybe it's from the bench. From me, from the coaching side, because my goalkeeper did plead with me that he was not okay today and he wanted to rest," September told FARPost.

He continued, "He's going through a lot. Him being the number one goalkeeper, I pushed him and said he must play."

Stanley Nwabali in action for Chippa United

Meanwhile, September praised Nwabali's performance despite his emotional state.

“He didn't have much to do, maybe towards the end when we made mistakes and towards the end when we were chasing the game. But other than that, he did very well,” he said.

However, September acknowledged that he should have listened to Nwabali's request for a rest.

"Sometimes you must listen. For me as a coach, just growing into that. So, I'll take that," he added.

Chippa United will face Kaizer Chiefs in the Nedbank Cup Last 16 on Saturday at the FNB Stadium.

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