The tale of retired jerseys at Chiefs, Pirates & Downs

Kaizer Chiefs paid a touching tribute in retiring the jersey number of Luke Fleurs, following his passing. KickOff looks at other jersey numbers retired at the club and at rivals Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns.

Chiefs announced last Thursday, during Fleurs' official memorial, after he was murdered in a hijacking incident, that they will retire the jersey number 26 in honour of his memory.

The Glamour Boys' decision raised some eyebrows, particularly on social media, as Fleurs was yet to feature officially for the club since joining as a free agent last October. 

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Amakhosi's gesture could have been influenced by the fact it was the first time they had a player passing on while still active at the club.

Chiefs only had two jerseys retired previously, number 20 belonging to former captain Howard Freese and number 15, famously worn by legendary Doctor Khumalo, in honour of their contributions to the club.

There are some reservations from Amakhosi fans, who feel there could be a precedent set, that the club could be expected to retire all jersey numbers of players who might pass on while on their books. 

Rivals Mamelodi Sundowns did not announce officially whether they have retired jersey number 2 and 16, which were worn by Anele Ngcongca and Motjeka Madisha, respectively, who both died in car accidents in 2020.

Both numbers are currently not in use by any player in the squad.

The Brazilians also retired jersey number 12 in honour of the late Gift Leremi after he passed away in a car accident, shortly after joining from Orlando Pirates in 2007. However, the number was brought out of retirement in 2019 after it was worn by Emiliano Tade and subsequently George Maluleka.

Pirates