Kaizer Chiefs assistant-coach Arthur Zwane has paid tribute to the late James McFarlene, who tragically passed away in a horror car accident.

The Glamour Boys announced the death of the Under-19 rising star on Twitter after McFarlane died in a car crash on Friday, 6 November.

Amakhosi tweeted: Chiefs Tweeted: ‘Gone too soon.

‘It is with great sadness that we announce the passing due to a car accident of our U19 Youth Development Academy player‚ James McFarlane. We pass our heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family and friends. May his soul Rest In Eternal Peace.’

Zwane accompanied by the football manager Bobby Motaung then paid a visit to the family immediately after learning of McFarlene’s tragic passing.

‘We have lost a fine prospect and a talented young lad,’ laments coach Arthur Zwane about the late James McFarlene.

‘James has left us too soon and it is hard to comprehend what happened. It is going to take long for us to recover from this loss. We are shattered and all our thoughts are with his family. We will sorely miss him.

‘James joined us from Black Aces three season ago. We identified him from the youth national teams and saw him as a great prospect for the future. He played as an attacking midfielder and full of energy so much that you could use him either as a number 8 or 10. We had identified him for promotion to the reserve team in the upcoming season.’

‘To see the family in the sorrowful state they are in was hard,’ adds Zwane. ‘We met his grief-stricken mother and the other family to express the sympathies on behalf of the Chiefs family. We wish to express our solidarity in grief with the family.”

‘The Club is holding hands with the family to give them the necessary support,’ says Zwane, ‘We will also trigger the system of supporting his teammates who are in the state of shock at the moment. It is sad but we trust time will heal. I would like to once more express our deepest heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family and friends.’

James will be buried on Saturday, 14 November. The funeral will take place under Covid-19 regulations.