Kaizer Chiefs could easily have been the club from this corner of the continent to participate in the inaugural African Super League currently under way, for which winners will pocket a staggering R77m after only six matches.
Instead, it is Mamelodi Sundowns who are the South African participants. Pushed low in the pecking order of home and continental fronts, Chiefs can’t slide further than this point. Something must give to stem the tide. The dilapidation on the domestic front is well documented, while progress in Africa has been sporadic at best.
Patrick Mabedi’s penalty at Ellis Park saw him hoist high the Confederation of African Football Cup Winners Cup (the Mandela Cup) in 2001, beating Angola’s Inter Clube Luanda 2-1 on aggregate.
Chiefs did not defend their title as they were disqualified from interclub continental competitions for failing to travel to Madagascar, as the island was engulfed in political violence at the time.
Having won the first leg against USM Transfoot 4-0 and, citing the cancellation of their flight as airlines withdrew, Caf disqualified them for two years.
Another ban followed in 2005. Chiefs opted for a clash against Bloemfontein Celtic, which clinched the Premier Soccer League crown, over honouring a Caf fixture. Caf barred them for three years and fined them $1,500.
Their best campaign in continental combat came in 2021. A 10-man Chiefs lost the final to Pitso Mosimane’s Egyptian top dogs Al Ahly, who recorded their 10th African crown and Mosimane his third.
Arch rivals Orlando Pirates have reached three Caf finals, all of which they lost, while Sundowns, the 2016 champions, have consistently responded “present” when the Caf Champions League register was marked.
Sundowns’ 11 years of technical team stability has seen the coach baton passed from Mosimane to Manqoba Mngqithi and Rulani Mokwena, fostering a consistency that has heightened the club’s stature as a powerhouse — within and beyond SA borders.
By contrast, on Monday Chiefs effected a fifth coaching change in three years. Ernst Middendorp (21 months), Gavin Hunt and Arthur Zwane (two years each) and Molefi Ntseki (four months) have come and gone, to naught effect in the change of fortunes.
The revolving door at Naturena Village is busier than the arrivals and departure terminals at OR Tambo International airport.
Middendorp looked to be the coach destined to end the league drought. A combination of factors, including the Covid-19 crisis, contrived to capsize a season of hope. Letting go of George Maluleka, who left with immediate effect after it was discovered he had signed a pre-contract with Sundowns, was impulsive.
It cannot be disputed that he was a driving force whose departure contributed to Chiefs bottling the title on the final day, and settling for the bridesmaid slot. In a spur-of-the-moment decision, Middendorp left abruptly, claiming the club told him finishing second was an embarrassment.
The revolving door at Naturena Village is busier than the arrivals and departure terminals at OR Tambo International airport
Hamstrung Hunt
To much fanfare, Hunt came in, a move that struck a chord with the fan base.
His era was hamstrung by a transfer ban. The stars he had crafted into league and Nedbank Cup glory at Bidvest Wits were up for grabs when the club closed shop. The then Bafana Bafana captain Thulani Hlatshwayo, Deon Hotto, and Terrence Dzvukamanja, to name but three, ended elsewhere.
Hunt turned to the youth. Nkosingiphile Ngcobo, Happy Mashiane and Njabulo Blom were fast-tracked, promoted during a time of transition.
Tales — or was it peddled propaganda? — were told of Hunt gracing the golf course while Chiefs were desperate to rub the green on the field. He was chopped.
Baxter was reloaded. Only because he was available. His reappointment was a classic case of drying today’s washing with yesterday’s sun. Second comings rarely produce previous results.
Youth academy
Zwane’s ill-fated reign saw a healthy number of products from Chiefs’ youth development academy promoted to the first team. That approach appears to have been abandoned in Ntseki’s condemned stint.
Seeing Mashiane, Ngcobo, Samkelo Zwane, Mduduzi Shabalala and Sabelo Radebe was as scarce as sporting hens’ teeth. Without wise heads to guide them, there is a lot of pressure on the younger players.
Experienced players have been signed, and blending the two components could have been a moment of redemption for Zwane and Ntseki.
Johnson had Shabalala in his starting XI yesterday, with Ngcobo and Zwane on the bench, which shows belief in the younger brigade.
His woes worsening with each game, management’s steadfast defence of Zwane ran out of steam as he jumped from the frying pan into the fire. Unable to close a deal with Nasreddine Nabi, panic set in.
Ntseki, serving the final year of his three-year contract as head of the youth academy, had to step in. But, if they believed he was capable, they would have given him the top job from the get-go.
Too heavy a burden
There has been neither love nor peace. Pelted missiles greeted most blows of the final whistle. Management decisions destabilised the club and antagonised supporters, who were especially vociferous in rejecting Zwane and Ntseki for a responsibility that has proved too heavy a burden to bear.
In all honesty, there has been heightened activity in player recruitment. Luke Fleurs is the latest addition to acquisitions that have markedly improved the quality of Chiefs’ playing personnel.
His purchase was preceded by that of Sibongiseni “Ox” Mthethwa, Given Msimango, Thatayaone Ditlhokwe, Pule Mmodi, Tebogo Potsane, Edson Castillo, Mduduzi Mdatsane, Ranga Chivaviro ... Oh, and Jasond Gonzalez.
From the back, into the midfield, to the front, Chiefs is teeming with players who, with proper coaching, can rattle the cage and restore respectability to the badge.
The Msimango-Ditlhokwe pairing is a decent partnership. With proper coaching, the duo could develop into a unit reminiscent of the dependable Mulomowandao Mathoho and Tefo Mashamaite twin towers.
Goalkeeping remains an area of concern. Long serving Itumeleng Khune has been iffy. Brandon Petersen can produce brilliant saves but seems incapable of averting the often costly, error-prone element of his game, which was again evident against Arrows yesterday.
Chivaviro deserves decent delivery to reproduce his excellent form for relegated Marumo Gallants.
Way forward
Johnson is on the job on an interim basis. The first test he must pass particularly well is to lay a foundation for a culture of cohesion.
The choice of coach will determine whether Chiefs management is prepared to change its ways. A plausible option could have been for Chiefs to get a permanent coach pronto, even if it means getting their man out of contract elsewhere.
The Msimango-Ditlhokwe pairing is a decent partnership. With proper coaching, the duo could develop into a unit reminiscent of the dependable Mulomowandao Mathoho and Tefo Mashamaite twin towers
The benefits of acting now would have been aplenty. Between now and December, there is nothing else to play for. Winning the league is already an impossibility. The MTN8 is gone. Chiefs said cheers — as in goodbye — to the Carling Knockout Cup at the first hurdle.
They’ve been poorer than a church mouse in the Nedbank Cup, since Zakhele Lepasa (now with Pirates) gave the Amakhosi faithful agony when he converted an optional time penalty to give then-first division side TS Galaxy cup glory.
Entering Naturena Village now gives the new arrival the task to assess the personnel at his disposal, and to recommend required recruits he deems fit for a restart. The remainder of the campaign can serve as a competitive preseason. Few if any Chiefs players will go to Afcon in Ivory Coast. The January break will give the team invaluable time to work.
Time and space must be accorded for the coach to pave a path that will ameliorate the acrimony and animosity the fans hold against the club. Not even a magician’s trickery or black magic can dig Chiefs out of the deep dark hole in an instant. The damage will take time to clear.
Manqoba Mnqithi
The team needs to reignite its love affair with the ball, and regain the confidence to caress it. The way the world of football operates demands a head coach to compose his own trusted technical lieutenants.
In must come a coach with credible credentials and a proven track record of success. Mngqithi is is in his swansong season at Sundowns. He has a wealth of experience and a full comprehension of the local football terrain — not to mention understanding nurturing a winning culture.
Should Chiefs snatch him when his obligation to Sundowns is concluded, his priority will be to construct a squad brimming with boldness.
Pitso Mosimane
Jingles is a candidate who needs no introduction. He has imprinted his signature in the south and north of Africa as a world class coach with the balls to play with the big boys.
He cured the incoherence that was an acutely distressing feature of the trial and error times of a long list of foreign coaches who struggled to turn Sundowns into a dominant force. Mosimane dealt with the turbulence of a rough start at Downs.
There was a clear-out of the many men in suits who were moved sideways for Mosimane to take full charge. When he arrived, he found the Brazilians faithful with little to cheer and left them with a bountiful to celebrate.
In his reign, Sundowns became a synonym for silverware, a tradition he continued at the Red Devils of Egypt. Reaching the cup final of the three competitions on offer would be reasonable expectation. What he did at Sundowns showed his undeniable ability to turn teams into beast mode.
What else can be fixed?
This is a moment for the Chiefs management to reflect on what they have. Football has long moved into an era in which a head coach comes with his trusted lieutenants to compose his technical team.
The new Chiefs coach must decide whether he wishes to work with goalkeeper coach George Mathiba as well as fitness and conditioning coach Muzi Maluleke. Management must take a backseat. The best they can do is create an environment that will allow him to thrive.
A good Kaizer Chiefs is great for the hearts of many South Africans.
Love affairs are never a smooth ride. Not dissimilar to weather patterns, they go through sunshine, rain, thunder, hailstorms. And Rainbows.
Wanted: a coach who will make the army of Amakhosi fans fall in love again.
On the commercial side, the club remains relevant. The green and gold strip was a masterstroke from the marketing gurus. Head of marketing Jessica Motaung rocked up at the announcement of the France-bound Springbok squad wearing that shirt and she blended seamlessly in a sea of the groen kant.
Chiefs fans crave a captain like Siya Kolisi, John Smith and Francois Pienaar, who can give joy to the Khosi Nation.
