Jardel Nazaré, a So Tomé and Principe international, has revealed why Kaizer Chiefs decided not to sign him despite a protracted trial with the club.
After departing Georgian side FC Saburtalo Tbilisi, the Glamour Boys stated that the left-back was on trial at Naturena.
Jardel has represented his country six times, including twice against South Africa, and has also played in Portugal at Oleiros, Uniao De Madeira and Naval 1 De Maio, and spent two seasons in Lithuania at FC Stumbras.
However, he remains without a club for now after failing to convince the Chiefs management, citing fitness issues as the reason why his move didn’t work out.
“The whole experience was okay, but I was just not fit enough because when I left Georgia I had an injury, so I hadn’t played for a long time,” Nazare tells Kick Off.
“After that, I went to the national team and played against Sudan and Ghana without having been training. Then just over a month later I went to Kaizer Chiefs while not in my best condition.
“But I felt I did the best of what I felt I could do at that moment in time. I could have done better, that is for sure. I enjoyed the whole experience at the club because the set-up just shows that this is a big club.
“In the end my fitness put me at a disadvantage. That is for sure. In football if you don’t play even for a month, you feel the difference and, in my case, I had not been training with a team for four months and I arrived there when everyone was super fit towards the end of the season.
“You can try your best knowing you can do better but then fitness works like that. Training and playing matches are also different as well that is why there is match fitness which comes with playing games.”
Chiefs did sign two new left-backs in Sibusiso Mabiliso and S’fiso Hlanti during the recent transfer window.
