Snl24 | Gqosha: Why Fleurs deserves to have jersey retired

SAITAMA, JAPAN – JULY 25: Fleurs Luke #5 of South Africa show his dejection after the Mens First Round Group A match between France and South Africa on day two of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Saitama Stadium on July 25, 2021 in Saitama, Japan. (Photo by Zhizhao Wu/Getty Images)

Former Kaizer Chiefs star Lifa “Mhlekazi” Gqosha backs the club’s decision to retire the late Luke Fleurs’s jersey number 26.

The 24-year-old was murdered by hijackers last week at a filling station in Roodepoort, in an incident that has left the soccer fraternity scarred.

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Although he never kicked a ball in anger in a competitive match for the Glamour Boys, during his memorial service which was held at FNB Stadium on Thursday, the club announced they had decided to retire Fleurs’ jersey number in his honor.

Gqosha outlined some of the things that might have motivated the club’s decision.

“When it comes to retiring a jersey number, it always depends on the reasons a club puts forward,” the ex-defender tells KickOff.

“So, Kaizer Chiefs, they’ve got their reasons as well, but in this case, it might be because they were still expecting a lot from him.

So, such decisions you cannot say it’s right or wrong. It shows how much they rated him.

“Jersey numbers never run out, they are plenty. This is their way of honouring him and showing appreciation,” he added. 

Gqosha believes the player’s loyalty to the brand, even when there may have been interest elsewhere before he moved to Naturena, may have played a massive role in the club choosing to honour him in that fashion.

“Most players now don’t want to go to Kaizer Chiefs, they choose money over game-time.

“But Luke, when he left SuperSport United, he took that risk when he stood his ground and refused to be sold to Mamelodi Sundowns.

“Nowadays, SuperSport United players align themselves with Sundowns. But Luke stood out from the rest and said, ‘No, I want Chiefs’.”

READ: Ex-Chiefs defender vanishes into the wilderness

 Meanwhile, Fleurs’ car has been recovered by the police, and six suspects who were arrested in Soweto will appear before the Roodepoort Magistrates’ Court on Friday.

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