Kaizer Chiefs: Kaze comments on Ntwari’s refusal to be substituted!

Ntwari incident: The Chiefs coach reacts

Fiacre Ntwari / @x.com/Soccer_Laduma/

In a surprising and rare turn of events, Kaizer Chiefs’ Rwandan goalkeeper Fiacre Ntwari refused to be substituted during Sunday’s clash against Stellenbosch FC, a fixture counting for the Round of 16 in the 2025/26 Carling Knockout Cup.Ntwari declined to leave the pitch before the end of extra time, despite the fourth official’s signal and the wish of interim assistant coach Cedric Kaze to bring on Bruce Bvuma.After a goalless stalemate (0-0) through regular time and extra time, the deadlock was broken by a dramatic penalty shootout. Stellenbosch emerged victorious, clinching the win 5-4.

During the shootout, Ntwari managed to save a penalty, but his teammates Tashreeq Morris and Dillan Solomons missed their attempts.

FOOTBALL AND FLAVOURS

Kaizer Chiefs goalkeeper Ntwari and Mthethwa refused to be substituted by MacCarthy and Bvuma but Mthethwa agreed 3 minutes later#Amakhosi4Life#OrlandoPirates#Sundowns#carlingknockoutcup Cardoso Saile Mbokazi Ntwari Sundowns Stellies Allende Cele pic.twitter.com/4pwDnynzMd

— RushSportsNews (@rushsportsnews) October 5, 2025

Speaking after the match, Cedric Kaze confirmed that his keeper Fiacre Ntwari felt confident to continue, though he admitted the way the substitution refusal played out was far from ideal.Kaze explained: "I believe in those kinds of situations, it’s something that we’re gonna handle internally, He [Ntwari] said that he feels confident to continue. He was comfortable going on, and for the penalty and helping the team."He added: “He was coming from a good intention, maybe the way he wasn’t as good as it should be, but it’s something that we will address.” Finally, he concluded: "We move on, and we're going to prepare for the next games."

Cedric Kaze speaks out on Fiacre Ntwari refusing to be substituted in Chiefs’ 5-4 penalty defeat to Stellenbosch FC ⚽️✌️🔥#AbsaYourStoryMatters#AirMobile#BetwayPrem#CarlingKnockoutpic.twitter.com/EFIW66RjNq

— SoccerBeat (@SoccerBeatZA) October 6, 2025