Cavin Johnson has explained why the head coaching position at Kaizer Chiefs entices him but doesn’t have a keen interest in taking it up, with his eyes already on a bigger role.
The former Al Ahly assistant coach, Johnson was appointed interim coach in October 2023 following the departure of Molefi Ntseki.
Ntseki was shown the exit door after a string of poor results, which resulted in the Amakhosi fans expressing their displeasure with the ex-Bafana Bafana coach by throwing missiles at him.
Johnson, at the helm, has since led the team in two DStv Premiership games, suffering a defeat against Golden Arrows and registering his first win in the Cape Town Spurs clash at home.
He had initially joined Chiefs as the Head of Academy in September to oversee the club’s youth academy and scouting network.
And despite his success with Al Ahly, where he clinched the CAF Champions League and Egyptian Premier League as an assistant coach to Pitso Mosimane, he is hesitant to commit to the head coach position at Chiefs.
SOMETHING BIGGER APPEALS TO CAVIN JOHNSON AT CHIEFS
The former AmaZulu, SuperSport United, and now-defunct Platinum Stars mentor, Johnson, believes that his experience and knowledge could be better utilised in a different capacity within the Soweto giants’ structures.
“It is something that appeals to me. But there is something bigger that appeals to me at Kaizer Chiefs,” said Johnson. “I’ve been to some of the biggest teams in the world and I have worked with one of the biggest teams [Al Ahly] in the world.
“And when I say this team [Chiefs] has got that potential and I think you need to bring from a bigger team and put it in this team but not as a head coach.
“The head coach will always be changed in any club. But I feel that this team is not where is supposed to be and maybe with the little knowledge that I have, I think this team can be as big as it should be.”
In addition, Johnson openly acknowledged the visionary leadership of club founder and chairman Dr Kaizer Motaung.
CAVIN JOHNSON FULL OF PRAISE FOR DR KAIZER MOTAUNG
Dr Motaung is set to be inducted into the South African Hall of Fame on Thursday evening to celebrate his contribution to football and SA in general.
“I’ve come to this team because there is something that nobody else has and I say that with respect to all the other clubs in the PSL,” declared Johnson.
And when the coach was asked to disclose the unique quality that Chiefs possess that sets them apart, he said: “There is a cloth that for me needs to be shown to the rest of the world. I think this team has got it.
“Chiefs have Kaizer “Chincha Guluva” Motaung, the only man in the world who has built a club, still owns a club. The only man in South Africa who has an institution like the [Kaizer Chiefs] Village. I think that needs to be exposed to the rest of the world.
“Result, yes, they need to come but just the cloth it goes through that Village. What I mean by the cloth is the people that work for him [Dr Motaung]. How the people work for him, why they work for this team, and what the aim of this team going forward is for many generations to come.
“And when I look and compare, for example, Al Ahly, when I look at the young players, they know the generations that won trophies at Al Ahly, and when I looked at the young generation of Chiefs, they don’t know the generation of the Ace Ntsoelengoe and that is the cloth. The cloth this man [Dr Motuang] has developed and the cloth that needs to go through the rest, it’s important we feel that.”
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