Kaizer Chiefs sporting director Kaizer Motaung Jr has addressed speculation linking the club with coaches Pitso Mosimane and Benni McCarthy. The Soweto giants are currently led by co-coaches Cedric Kaze and Khalil Ben Youssef, who were tasked with guiding the team through a transitional period following the departure of Nasreddine Nabi at the start of the season.
Kaze and Ben Youssef oversaw a promising first half of the campaign, with noticeable improvements compared to last season. However, Chiefs have since hit a rough patch, losing their last four matches and slipping to sixth place in the league standings. The club was also eliminated from the CAF Confederation Cup.
The recent run of poor results has fuelled speculation about the future of the current coaching duo. Mosimane has frequently been linked to the Amakhosi job, though the highly decorated coach has publicly stated that he has never been formally approached by the club. Meanwhile, McCarthy recently revealed that it has long been a dream of his to one day coach Chiefs.
WHAT DID KAIZER MOTAUNG JR SAY ABOUT MOSIMANE AND MCCARTHY
“You’re mentioning two top individuals who’ve achieved tremendous things in their careers. It would be unfair of me to sit here and talk about coaches when we have coaches within the team,” he told Robert Marawa. “We have our immediate mandate and responsibility to restore the pride and the hurt that’s been happening to the nation and to the team.
“I can’t sit here and talk about individuals. It’s not professional. I don’t think it’s the right thing to do. I have a lot of respect for both of those gentlemen; they’ve achieved a lot through their playing days and as coaches. It’s always an honour to be associated with people like that.”
‘CHIEFS IS A BIG TEAM’
Pressed on whether they would consider a big-name coach for next season, Motaung Jr added: “Chiefs is a big team. We want the best coaches. The most experienced, the highest quality. That’s exactly what we want. That’s the direction we see ourselves. When we sat down and presented our 2030 plan.
“The continent is very important to us. So in terms of our strategy, continental football is a must. So we want to be on that stage. We want the calibre of players, personnel, analysts, and coaches who can take us to that stage. We want to associate ourselves with the best of the best,” he said.
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