RismadarVoice Reporters
February 15, 2026
Former Chippa United goalkeeper Tshepo Motsoeneng has cast doubt on Stanley Nwabali’s decision to part ways with the club, questioning whether the Super Eagles shot-stopper has done enough to warrant a move to one of South Africa’s top sides.
Nwabali’s departure from the Eastern Cape outfit came as a surprise, and Motsoeneng believes the Nigerian international may have been influenced by expectations of interest elsewhere.
“I think for Nwabali to terminate at Chippa United, obviously there might be an agent who told him there’s interest somewhere,” Motsoeneng told KickOff.
“And knowing Chippa Mpengesi, whom I worked with closely at some point, he doesn’t stand in the way of a player who is not happy at the club anymore.”
However, the former goalkeeper insisted that Nwabali has not yet proven he has outgrown the Premier Soccer League (PSL).
“I don’t think Nwabali has outgrown the PSL. Chippa is fighting relegation, and for Nwabali, he needed to prove at Chippa beyond reasonable doubt that he had outgrown the PSL. He first needs to be an outstanding goalkeeper in the PSL to outgrow it.”
Motsoeneng also pointed to what he described as a dip in form since Nwabali returned from the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
“Since this season started, Nwabali’s performance has not been where it should have been. After coming back from AFCON in Morocco, maybe he thought he was going to receive an offer from outside, and that didn’t happen,” he added.
The former Chippa shot-stopper further analysed the goalkeeping situations at South Africa’s traditional “big three” — Kaizer Chiefs, Orlando Pirates, and Mamelodi Sundowns — arguing that there is no clear opening for the Nigerian.
“If he is aiming to move to one of the big three, where will he go?” Motsoeneng asked.
“At Kaizer Chiefs, you have Brandon Petersen, who is proving this season that he is the right man for the job. At Orlando Pirates, you have Sipho Chaine, who is winning trophies and wants to be squeezed into the Bafana Bafana World Cup squad behind Ricardo Goss.
“At Mamelodi Sundowns, you have the country’s number one in Ronwen Williams. Remember, you sign a foreign goalkeeper for him to be number one, but now when you bring him to Sundowns, then what must happen to Ronwen?”
Motsoeneng concluded that all three clubs have established first-choice goalkeepers with international ambitions, leaving little room for Nwabali at the top end of the PSL.
“They have no space for Nwabali. All three clubs’ first-choice goalkeepers have a chance to go to the World Cup,” he said.
Nwabali, 29, recently parted ways with Chippa United and is currently without a club. The former captain earned his Nigeria call-up in 2024 and has remained the Super Eagles’ first-choice goalkeeper since then, but his next destination remains uncertain amid ongoing speculation.
