Was it Khune's farewell or just the 25th celebration at Chiefs?

Chiefs celebrated Khune’s 25 years at the club since he arrived as a young 12-year-old from Tshing in Ventersdorp in the North-West province to join their junior ranks. The former Bafana Bafana captain and number-one goalkeeper was also brought in for the last 15 minutes. Khune maintained that this was not a goodbye for him from the club, and in his short address to the fans, he spoke about plans for the future.

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''Khosi nation, it is such an emotional day for me, but I am happy that everyone came in numbers to support us. You guys have been there for us through thick and thin, you've been patient with us even though the results were not coming. 

We have been working hard to make sure we get the desired results, and we will forever be grateful for the support that you guys always give us. Everywhere we go, everywhere we travel, we know that you guys are with us and we appreciate the support,'' said Khune.

This is in contraction to the match report on the Chiefs website where the headline reads, “Khune farewell ends in goalless stalemate.” The article goes on to say, “Khune was given a swansong,” a clear indication of the Saturday’s events.

''We will forever be grateful and we will continue to make you proud everytime we get on the field to play. We play for the badge, we play for you Khosi nation. We will forever be grateful for you undying support, we will continue working hard for you guys. Thank you Khosi nation,'' added Khune.

SABC Sport understands that there’s still going to be some discussion between Khune and the club when the season is over about the way forward. He has also indicated that he’s still keen to play.

 It’s not the first time there’s been confusion between Khune and the club about his future. At the beginning of this season, Chiefs released a statement saying this would be Khune’s last season. They went further to say after this season, he could join the technical team and also have a marketing ambassador role at the club. But during the season, in an interview with the media, he backtracked on that and said he’s not ready to retire yet. The 37-year-old repeated those words that his legs can still carry him. There were mixed feelings from some of the Chiefs supporters SABC Sport spoke to on Saturday.

''Message to Khune, I want to thank him for the way he loves the club, it shows that he plays for the badge. I hope the management can give him a position, he deserves to be a goalkeeper coach,'' mentioned a fan.

It’s not only Chiefs fans who showed their love and appreciation for Khune’s service to the club but also opposition fans as well.