Kaizer Chiefs coach Ernst Middendorp blames his side’s congested fixture schedule for Amakhosi’s elimination from the Caf Confederation Cup.

The Glamour Boys failed to advance to the group stages of the continental competition, suffering a 5-2 aggregate defeat to Zesco United after falling to a 2-1 loss in the return leg on Saturday.

Middendorp strongly believes that the travelling between their Absa Premierships and Caf Confederation Cup games affected their performance against the Zambian outfit.

‘First of all, compliments to Zesco. I think both games (they were good) six points. It was very clear. They deserve to qualify. We were not able to get the freshness in. We had our first game on the 5th of January,’ Middendorp told SuperSport TV after the game.

‘Now today is the 20th, is 15 days and that means it’s five games in 15 days. I don’t have to explain it and if you want to compete with the champions of other countries (we’ve to prepare better).

‘First game away we had to do a very intensive game against Bidvest [Wits]. We won it. We went all out. Now here we are again, we have to play another intensive game in Durban against AmaZulu, we won it.

‘But I have seen the players in both games, first game away and today’s game three days later after another intensive game, we haven’t been able to get the freshness in.

‘Any professional will tell you when you have every three days a game in addition to travelling; it’s not a fitness but travelling issue.

‘You need one or two days off, like the fantastic performance in the AmaZulu game. It was a fantastic performance against Bidvest Wits.

‘It’s not that the players are not capable, but just the result of these intensive games these players have to come up and play.’