TS Galaxy Chairman Tim Sukazi has opened up about club’s decision to sell Rwandan goalkeeper Fiacre Ntwari to Kaizer Chiefs.
Sukazi confirmed Ntwari’s move to Chiefs for a reported $300,000 (Rwf392.7 million). The Rwanda international is expected to join the rest of his new teammates in Turkey where they are currently preparing their squad ahead of the 2024-25 campaign under the guidance of Nasreddine Nabi.
Ntwari will compete with Brandon Petersen, Bruce Bvuma and Bontle Molefe in the Amakhosi goalkeeping department.
Upon their return from Turkey, the Glamour Boys will host Tanzanian giants Young Africans in the inaugural Toyota Cup. The match is scheduled to take place in Bloemfontein on Sunday, July 28, at 15:00 South African time.
The former AS shot stopper made a crucial impact on TS Galaxy’s performance during the just-concluded season. He arrived at the club a second goalkeeper before taking up the No 1 role since January until the end of the season.
His performances are admired by Chiefs goalkeepers’ coach Ilyes Mzoughi who has been monitoring him for almost a year.
Asked why TS Galaxy decided to sell Ntwari, club chairman Sukazi said they still needed the keepers’ services but admitted that Chiefs’ offer was too reasonable to turn down.
"I believe this was a meeting of the minds after protracted negotiations. Chiefs strongly wanted the player (Fiacre Ntwari) and made that clear. It's not that we did not need the player, but this is our business model,” the chairman told SABC Sport.
"We’ve done this before and we are going to reinvest into the project yet again. I believe in SA football having a strong Kaizer Chiefs that is of a high standard, and Ntwari is the type of goalkeeper that will be able to contribute to their project. We cannot have a weak Chiefs, whether you and I like it or not,” he concluded.
Ntwari, 24, featured in 32 matches across all competitions for TS Galaxy last season. The Amavubi star conceded 29 goals and kept 13 clean sheets.
He becomes Chiefs’ second signing, with Orlando Pirates left-back Bongani Sam making the switch to Naturena.
He joined TS Galaxy in July 2023, after ending his contract with former club AS Kigali.