Did Khune Sign for Orlando Pirates?

Is it true that the Kaizer Chiefs and Bafana Bafana goalkeeper Ithumeleng Khune has left the Naturena-based club for cross-town rivals Orlando Pirates?

Twitter is abuzz with the rumour that Khune has signed for the Buccaneers for R50 million, making him one of the most expensive players on the local market.

Is Khune a Pirates player?

As it stands, Khune is still a Kaizer Chiefs player and the rumour remains just that, a rumour. To begin with, the arch-rivalry between the two clubs working against Orlando Pirates.

At the same time, Khune, at the age of 33 and probably headed towards the twilight of his career, looks set to be a one-club player, something that is rare in the country.

If he manages to do that, he will join the elite club of the likes of Manchester United Paul Scholes.

It is worth noting that there have been no known negotiations between the goalkeeper and Pirates. Khune arrived at Kaizer Chiefs in 1999 through the club’s Academy. He was initially a defender who was later converted to a goalkeeper due to chest problems, according to Savanna News.

There are also reports that Chiefs would like to offer Khune a coaching position at the team’s academy when the goalkeeper hangs his gloves. And Khune has previously admitted his will to end his career at Naturena.

What fueled the rumour

South Africa’s Twitter streets easily catch fire. And this is what happened in this case. The rumours were substantiated by the fact that Khune did not feature regularly for the club in this current season that has been suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The Chiefs coach Ernst Middendorp has given more game time to Daniel Akpeyi ahead of Kaizer Chiefs’ long-time serving goalkeeper. Khune has been out of action due an injury.

Akpeyi has put on fine performance since assuming goalkeeping duties although he has made one or two blunders. However, he earned the respect of coach Middendorp, Amakhosi fans and Khune when he put on a fine performance in the Soweto derby when he put on a monstrous performance that earned his team a narrow 1 – 0 win over Pirates.

Who signed Khune to Pirates

They say that there is no smoke without fire. But not always. At least in this case. It seems as if Khune was signed to Pirates by Twitter users.

And the way Twitter users reacted is even more interesting than the rumour itself. One user said that the signs were there, referring to a “skeleton T-shirt” worn by Khune.

It is all on Twitter. But where it matters most, Khune is still a Chiefs player. And he might never leave the Amakhosi camp in his professional career.