Abraw enjoying the Cape adventure

Rodney Reiners

Perhaps too much has been written and discussed about Kaizer Chiefs’ rock-solid defensive shape and structure. With opposing teams focusing far too much on trying to break them down, it is often forgotten that the Soweto club has a potent attack.

And the man who leads the line is the industrious and powerful Togolese striker, Camaldine Abraw. This season, the 25-year-old has added greater variety to an already formidable Amakhosi side.

The in-form forward will again have a crucial role to play when Chiefs host SuperSport United in a PSL fixture at Cape Town Stadium on Saturday (kickoff 8.15pm).

During Stuart Baxter’s successful stint in charge of Chiefs, they often played without a striker and used midfielder Siphiwe Tshabalala as a false 9 (in much the same way that Barcelona sometimes used Cesc Fabregas).

But when Steve Komphela took over at Naturena this season, Abraw had already been signed by the Soweto club.

Komphela had previously worked with the Togolese striker at Free State Stars and he has been able to bring the best out of the player.

Abraw has netted some crucial goals for Chiefs this year and SuperSport’s defence are in for a torrid time against the influential forward.

Abraw is from Lome in Togo, and has played for Chateauroux in France’s Ligue 2. But, having represented Togo at Under-17 and senior level, he was spotted during the Africa Cup of Nations by scouts from Ea Lla Koto and lured to the PSL.

After two promising seasons in the Free State, Chiefs were alerted to his ability and they duly brought him to Amakhosi this season to beef up their strike force, a department that desperately needed a new, fresh face.

“The move to Chiefs has been good,” said Abraw. “After my time at Free State Stars, Chiefs contacted me … they were interested, the arrangements were done and I was signed.

“We’ve got SuperSport this week and we know it won’t be easy. But it’s a game like any other, and we will prepare for it like any other game. We are focused, ready, and we want to go out and get the three points.”

Victory, of course, is crucial if Chiefs want to stay in touch with Mamelodi Sundowns, who are setting a frightening pace at the top of the PSL standings.

As things stand, Sundowns lead with 45 points, followed by Wits and Mpumalanga Black Aces on 36, with Chiefs on 35 points.

Abraw is not too concerned by the fact that the Glamour Boys are 10 points behind the Brazilians. In fact, he sees it as a motivating factor.

“It’s not a worry,” he said. “There’s still a lot of football to be played. We aren’t looking at who’s ahead of us … we are just focusing on ourselves and what we have to do. Our aim is to keep working together and keeping trying to win every game we play.

“If we do that, just keep doing things one game at a time, we’ll have a look towards the end of the season and check where we are. It’s no use worrying about who’s in front … you can only focus on what you can do.”

Chiefs’ presence in the Mother City is based on the Soweto club continuing to build its national brand. It already has a gigantic footprint across the across the country and, according to the Gauteng-based club, playing three “home” games in the Cape is to allow their followers in the Mother City the opportunity to see their heroes live in action.

Abraw has certainly enjoyed the Cape adventure.

“Cape Town is a great environment,” said the Togolese forward. “The supporters have warmed to us and it has been a big boost to our performances.

“Now, in our final Cape game, we want to repay our loyal fans with a win over SuperSport on Saturday.”