Arthur Zwane on Bafana Bafana defender Siyabonga Ngezana's rise to Europe: I was tough on him because I knew how strong he is and not to destroy him

Arthur Zwane’s tough love on Siyabonga Ngezana during their time at Kaizer Chiefs is reaping the rewards.

The AmaZulu coach said he was always hard and tough on the FCSB in Romania defender because he knew he had potential to be a great player.

“When I was on his case, people said I had a problem with Siya, that I wanted to destroy Siya. People said he was one of my favourites… but that time, Siya was the best defender at Kaizer Chiefs,” Zwane told iDiski Times.

“Nobody understood why I said that; he could deal with 1v1s. He was very strong in the air, when we had the ball he could play, pace as well, quick recoveries. People said otherwise but he was our best defender.

“But it’s fine, I always say God does things in a mysterious way. I was bashed so much for that. I said it’s okay, no problem, look at Siya today, playing in UEFA competitions.

“It’s good for South Africa and trust me, he will be in the World Cup squad because he worked hard for it. And he’s doing well, look at all these players that come from DDC level, the reserve team.

“We need to commend the PSL and Multichoice for this program, it’s been life-changing and producing so many players. It has also reduced the average [age] in the national team.

“Look at the squad that just qualified, many of them stand a good chance of even going to the next FIFA World Cup.”