The 30-year-old centre-back exits Rise and Shine after two seasons with the Limpopo outfit and is keen to remain in the PSL
Defender Ayanda Nkili says he will not be playing in the GladAfrica Championship next season, announcing he has left Polokwane City following the team’s relegation from the Premier Soccer League (PSL).
Nkili featured in 14 league matches for Polokwane last season, having also played for Stellenbosch in the past.
The lanky central defender says Rise and Shine players are to blame for the team’s relegation and not coach Clinton Larsen.
“I won’t go down with the team. I had a meeting with management and we agreed to part ways,” said Nkili as per Sun Sport.
“They had a problem financially and they let me continue with my life elsewhere. This coming week I will know about my future. I can’t blame lockdown for the team’s relegation because all the teams had the same situation.
“We need to take responsibility as players. We were not good enough. I can’t say the coach is to blame. We should leave him alone because he does not kick the ball and make mistakes. We must look at ourselves and ask ‘Did we do enough?’ No. Every year a PSL team get relegated and unfortunately it was us this time.”
Nkili was one of the most experienced players at the Limpopo side, having previously played for Orebro SK in the Swedish top-flight league.
He also turned out for another Swedish club IFK Hassleholm.
Polokwane endured a difficult run especially after the restart of the season where they failed to win their six remaining league games.
They lost four games and drew two, a run which condemned them to the lower tier after going into the coronavirus-induced break third from bottom.
“Football has its ups and downs,” Nkili said.
“I’ve learnt that being involved in this situation [relegation] could kill you with stress. To think that another team has to go through this pain is stressful. It’s nice to be in the top eight and that’s what I will aim for going forward.”
Many Polokwane City players are expected to remain in the PSL with goalkeeper George Chigova already signing for SuperSport United.
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