Former coach Muhsin Ertugral criticized Kaizer Chiefs for not having the same forward-thinking mindset as Mamelodi Sundowns. “That is not Amakhosi’s current situation.”
Chiefs’ hopes of taking home trophies during the current 2023–24 campaign were ruined when they lost to Milford FC, a lower division team, in the Nedbank Cup.
The Soweto giants are now ranked sixth in the Premier Soccer League with 25 points from 17 games, 16 fewer than leaders Mamelodi Sundowns, who have one game remaining.
The Glamour Boys, who last won a major trophy in the 2014–15 season under Stuart Baxter, are set to end a tenth consecutive season without one after being eliminated from the Nedbank Cup.
Coaches have been shifting around a lot as they try to break the trophy drought. After Arthur Zwane was dropped to the assistant coach position, Molefi Ntseki took over as head coach for the first few games of the season.
However, after just 13 games, the pair was removed since they had not performed up to expectations. Cavin Johnson, a former Al Ahly assistant tactician, took over as manager until the rest of the season.
Kaizer Motaung Jr. was named the team’s sporting director in 2021, with Bobby Motaung assuming a more administrative position.
But Ertugral clarified that more is required if the Chiefs are to relive their heyday.
“The main issue is that the delusion of knowledge is always your worst adversary. Therefore, believing that you are aware of it is a delusion and an adversary of yours, Ertugral stated to Radio2000.
In the end, as you may not be aware, the game of football is constantly evolving, and when I visited the Turkish national team, I had to adapt to the new circumstances as well.
“You can see with [Mamelodi] Sundowns, they are running away in South African football and [competing] internationally as well – behind the scenes, for me, there are very influential people, I can’t mention Mr [Flemming] Berg,” he said.
“He’s already thinking forward, even behind the scenes. For the next ten years, individuals in the background and sporting directors will be the ones slogging out the results—that’s the technical part.
“I don’t think that’s what’s being done by Kaizer Jnr or behind the scenes by people who are in the business, but you need to have expertise who can handle and grind the results for the next 10 years – that’s what’s not happening at Chiefs.”
It is unlikely that Johnson will be hired as a permanent coach following the Nedbank Cup loss; instead, he will probably return to lead the development division.
The Chiefs’ administration needs to hire a coach who can instill a new mindset in the players and guide them toward victory through a methodical approach.