Former Kaizer Chiefs coach Muhsin Ertugral has explained why it would be key to extend co-coaches Cedric Kaze and Khalil Ben Youssef’s mandate at Naturena permanently.
The two coaches have been temporarily holding the reins at Amakhosi as co-coaches since September 2025, when their former boss Nasreddine Nabi left the club. They were mandated to take charge until the end of the season and “finish as high as possible” in the Betway Premiership campaign. A new coach is expected at Chiefs ahead of the 2026/27 season.
Currently third on the table, playing in the CAF Confederation Cup again next campaign looks realistic for Chiefs. They have 14 points fewer than second-placed Orlando Pirates and five more than AmaZulu FC, who trail in fourth spot with three games remaining before the league closes this season’s business.
Ertugral feels keeping Kaze and Ben Youssef would ensure sustained momentum at Chiefs going into next season
“Continuity is not about just protecting the coaches. It is about protecting the direction,” Ertugral told FARPost. “If there is a clear idea, if there is visible progress, even at present, somehow the results are inconsistent, for me, the worst decision is to start again.
“Keeping the coaches for me is important. For me, they need to keep the coaches.”
KAZE AND BEN YOUSSEF: FROM DEAD MEN WALKING TO THE CUSP OF A TOP THREE FINISH
Not a long time ago, Kaze and Ben Youssef were targets of disgruntled Chiefs fans, angered by a string of poor results. A four-game losing streak threatened another finish outside the top eight, and it triggered panic.
A small group of supporters marched to the Kaizer Chiefs Village just two months ago, demanding the immediate sacking of the two coaches. But what followed was a turnaround in results, highlighted by five consecutive league wins.
Two draws were to be recorded before Siwelele FC halted Chiefs’ seven-match unbeaten run last week by winning 2-0. The Soweto giants picked themselves up by frustrating Mamelodi Sundowns‘ PSL title charge in midweek in a 1-1 draw in Tshwane.
CHIEFS NAVIGATING THROUGH A TURBULENT PERIOD WITHOUT JANUARY SIGNINGS
Securing a Confed Cup spot for next season might have decision-makers at Naturena consider permanent roles for Kaze and Ben Youssef. Position three would be the best finish for Chiefs for the first time since the 2019/2020 season, when they ended the term as runners-up to eventual champions Sundowns under Ernest Middendorp.
For coaches who did not beef up their squad with a single player during the January transfer window, ending at number three would be a respectable feat. Not signing players mid-season showed itself when there was a goalkeeping crisis, with Brandon Petersen and Fiacre Ntwari out injured.
That left Bruce Bvuma and the inexperienced Takalani Mazhamba as the only available first-team options. There was also a crisis in central defence at some point, with injuries and suspensions wreaking havoc.
In a PSL game against Richards Bay FC in March, the coaches were forced to improvise by partnering left-footed defenders Bradley Cross and Aden McCarthy in central defence.
NEW COACH, ANOTHER FRESH START FOR CHIEFS
Ertugral emphasises continuity, fearing a new coach replacing Kaze and Ben Youssef would come in with his own methods. That would be a fresh start, needing the new man in charge to drill his own system of play into a squad that has some players who have often been trying to adjust to the ways of different coaches in recent seasons.
“The question is to ask honestly, was there ever real continuity in recent years? Many changes have damaged the success rate at the club, in my opinion, because each change had its own direction,” added Ertugral.
“So every new coach started again from zero. I think all the resets have broken whatever structure was beginning to form.
“Those changes delayed one thing that Chiefs really need: identity. At some point, Chiefs must decide what they want to be. Not only the next result.
“That’s what I am saying, not the next result. It’s more important to have continuity. They have had too many resets.”
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