Bernard Parker on how relationship with Makaab collapsed after Chiefs exit

Parker, who spent over a decade at the Soweto giants, adds that he was blindsided when the club chose not to renew his contract and believes Makaab could have done more to prepare him for the news.¨

Furthermore, Parker suspected his agent knew Chiefs were planning to release him but chose not to disclose it.

"I reiterated to the chairman my willingness to give back to the club in whichever way, and I was told that I would get a call in a month. The call didn't come. 

"In the following months, I pushed again, and then they eventually said that I must go see coach Molefi Ntseki.

READ: Minister McKenzie to shower World Cup-bound Bafana Bafana with bonuses

Parker says what frustrated him most was Makaab’s lack of urgency in finding him a new club. Even when an opportunity arose at SuperSport United, he claims his agent failed to act decisively.

"I've been with him for 16 years at that point, so I just wanted him to talk to me straight. I was told the club was struggling and not able to afford me, to which I responded by saying, I don't want money, I just want to play, and nobody mentioned anything about personal terms.

"Coach Gavin wanted me and was pushing for me to join the club. I went to Mike Makaab and told him, 'I heard you put in an offer, can you tell me what's going on?'."

The veteran forward went on to reveal that he handled his own move to TS Galaxy, negotiating directly with the club.

Looking back on his time at Chiefs from 2011 to 2022, Parker also shared that Makaab had convinced him to return to the PSL at a time when he still believed he could continue playing in Europe.

"Later on, I realised why I was pushed to come back to play for Kaizer Chiefs, it was a business decision, because Knowledge Musona and I were represented by the same agent, and he wanted to get a move to Europe. 

"After all the success at the club, I realised later on that it was a business decision... release Musona and we'll give you Parker."