Luke Fleurs: Kaizer Chiefs Honour Late South African Defender After His Tragic Passing

• Kaizer Chiefs have made a new decision concerning honouring the late Luke Fleurs
• The 24-year-old was yet to make his debut for Amakhosi before his passing last week
• A memorial service was held at the FNB Stadium in honour of the defender on Thursday

Kaizer Chiefs have decided to honour South African defender Luke Fleurs, who tragically passed away last week after a reported hijacking incident in Johannesburg.

The 24-year-old joined Amakhosi from Premier Soccer League rivals SuperSport United in the summer and was yet to make his debut for the Soweto-based club.

Before joining Chiefs, Fleurs was a regular for the Matsatsantsa and featured in 70 games for the club.

According to a report by iDiskiTimes, Amakhosi Sporting Director Kaizer Motaung Jr. announced during the player's memorial service at the FNB Stadium that the club would pay respect to him by retiring his jersey number even without him making a debut.

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"He will wake up, pray, come give his best in training, support his teammates, could do anything in this jersey," he said.

When Fleurs joined the club, he was given the number 26 jersey, and Motaung Jr. confirmed that the club board had a meeting to make the decision.

"He could go out there and show the people, so no one else could because that was his jersey [26]. So we sat down; it was a no-brainer. We really wanted to use this to deal with the bigger problem, which is crime. It's a reflection of that," he added.

This would be the third time Kaizer Chiefs will retire a jersey, with Doctor Khumalo's number 15 and Howard Freese's number 20 being the first two.

Orlando Pirates reacts to Fleurs' death

Sports Brief earlier reported that Kaizer Chiefs' Soweto rivals, Orlando Pirates, have commented on the death of Fleurs, who died after being shot during a hijacking in Johannesburg.

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The Bucs joined many football organisations that have shared their messages of condolence to the club and the player's family.

Pirates released an official statement on their X (formerly known as Twitter) handle to sympathise with Amakhosi and the 24-year-old defender’s family.