Stuart Baxter has thrown his weight behind Benni McCarthy for the Kaizer Chiefs job if Cedric Kaze and Khalil Ben Youssef are fired, revealing why the UEFA Champions League winner is the fitting candidate for the job.
Chiefs have hit a low gear just as the league reaches its crescendo, and it is no longer difficult to imagine them missing out on the top eight. Their current form has sparked renewed talk of chopping and changing coaches.
As it stands, they sit fifth on the log with 33 points, trailing table-leaders Orlando Pirates by 15 points. Mamelodi Sundowns, currently in second place, sit 14 points ahead of them. While Amakhosi initially appeared to be serious contenders in a neck-and-neck title race, they have fizzled out following four consecutive losses across all competitions.
On Sunday, they got a reprieve after beating Durban City FC 1-0, but Kaze and Ben Youssef still face an uncertain future amid mounting demands.
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As the club seeks solutions, their former coach Baxter has told FARPost that peculiar elements need urgent fixing before hiring a new coach.
Furthermore, he said former Bafana Bafana striker McCarthy should be their prime target if they want a new coach. “You’ve got to ask yourself, are these two coaches [Kaze and Ben Youssef] doing the job, or are they working with one hand tied behind their back? I don’t know. I don’t know the answer to that.”
“Now, if these two coaches are sacked, then for the crowd, it seems like Chiefs are doing something. But for me, it doesn’t matter who you bring in; you’ve got to create the conditions for the coach to be able to do his work, support the coach and ask the coach, what is your vision? What is your project?.”
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Baxter stressed that McCarthy is the fitting candidate to take over Amakhosi if Kaze and Ben Youssef are sacked.
“And the present coaches may get sacked today or tomorrow or in three years. But, you know, if you’re a coach and you’re going to get sacked, you want to be sacked for the things that you believe in,” added Baxter.
“So I would say, there are plenty of coaches that could accept the pressure. I mean, look, you could bring Benni McCarthy but it’s allowing that person the conditions to be the coach he is and trusting him. That’s what Bobby [Motaung] did with me. That’s what Kaizer senior did with me. And everybody helped me the first time.”
McCarthy, currently the Kenya national team head coach, recently revealed that he is open to the Chiefs job, but only if it serves his bigger ambitions.
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