The gloves are officially off at Naturena. Kaizer Chiefs co-coach Cedric Kaze has launched a scathing counter-attack against the pundits and rival coaches who have questioned his pedigree, vowing that by the end of the season, the “disrespect” will turn into an apology.
Following a 1-0 victory over Golden Arrows at the FNB Stadium on Tuesday night in the Betway Premiership, Kaze chose his post-match platform to address the elephant in the room: the narrative that he and Khalil Ben Youssef are merely “holding the fort” following head coach Nasreddine Nabi’s exit.
The victory over Abafana Bes’thende marked Amakhosi’s return to action following the 2025 AFCON hiatus, a result that propelled the Soweto giants to third place on the log standings after 14 games.
Kaze and Ben Youssef’s partnership is rooted in Chiefs’ recent success. The duo served as the assistants to Nabi when the club ended their decade-long trophy drought by beating Orlando Pirates in the 2025 Nedbank Cup final.
This technical synergy was first forged at Tanzania’s Young Africans, where they formed the backbone of Nabi’s trophy-laden era before the latter moved to AS FAR Rabat, then Naturena. At the Soweto giants, Nabi was joined by Kaze and Ben Youssef as part of his technical team in July, 2024.
However, the pair has faced persistent questions about their ability to lead independently following Nabi’s departure.
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Since taking over the reins, Kaze and Ben Youssef have maintained an impressive upward trajectory, balancing domestic league form with a successful qualification for the CAF Confederation Cup group stages.
Responding to questions on whether the technical team has earned the full trust of the club’s ecosystem, Kaze was emphatic in his stance.
“I don’t feel that I am not trusted. But in fact, I feel that I’m very supported within the team with the management, the players, and all the colleagues who are working with us,” he declared. “But sometimes, I feel like it’s the outside people who try to create things.
Kaze went on to highlight a perceived lack of professional courtesy from certain quarters of the football community and the media. “And I would even say that there is also a lack of respect when some people talk about a position when there is a coach already,” added Kaze
“Some coaches would even say, ‘I will make them champions,’ but when you look at the history of that coach talking, he has never done that before,” added the Burundian mentor. “Sometimes journalists talk about ‘those two co-coaches’. They don’t even know their names, I’m talking about SoccerBeat, in fact.
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Dismissing the notion that the duo is “out of their depth,” Kaze pointed to their formal qualifications and the tangible results achieved since the leadership transition.
He concluded with a firm challenge to his detractors: “We know what we are doing, and we are qualified. But I am giving you, at the end of the season, we will meet, and I am pretty sure everyone will apologise.”
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