South Africa’s football legend Jomo Sono has hailed Kaizer Chiefs on appointing Arthur Zwane as head coach and pleaded for patience, saying he will make mistakes as he grows.
Zwane is in his first season as head coach of Chiefs and has had an indifferent start. In 13, DStv Premiership games, they have won six and lost four.
The other three ended in draws, leaving them in fourth place. In the MTN8 Cup, he was knocked out by AmaZulu in the semi-finals.
“The fact that they gave him an opportunity is a very good thing. It’s a very, very good thing. It’s a very good step.
“And you can see that he’s getting all the support from everyone. Leave the supporters, you know supporters, you know how they are.
“At Chiefs there, you can see he’s getting a lot of support,” Sono said at an event in Johannesburg on Thursday. He was introducing a smart wearable soccer tracker – Player maker – designed for players aiming to improve their performance by analysing their stats.
The former Bafana Bafana coach has brought the innovation, which utilises smart motion sensors attached directly onto a player’s boots, to South Africa.
ZWANE WILL GROW, SAYS SONO
He is convinced that Zwane, who had a stint with his Jomo Cosmos between 1992 and 1996, will grow as a coach.
“He will grow. You cannot grow without making mistakes. How do you grow if you’re not making mistakes?
“He’s going to make mistakes. He’s going to play a striker who is injured.
It’s a mistake. If the player is 90% fit, don’t play him.”
“When he [the injured player] makes a mistake, he will give an excuse that he was not fully fit.”
He warns that the Chiefs job is not easy, but he has full faith that his prodigy will turn the corner.
“We must compliment them for giving Arthur an opportunity. It’s not an easy job. What we need to do as South Africans and Africans is we need to support each other.”
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