Kaizer Chiefs head coach Fernando Da Cruz has reacted to the public vote of confidence he received from the club’s sporting director, Kaizer Motaung Jr.
Da Cruz responded to Motaung Jr’s supportive remarks after guiding the Glamour Boys to a comfortable 3-0 win over TS Galaxy in the Carling Knockout Cup Round of 16 at FNB Stadium on Tuesday night.
The Soweto giants delivered a statement performance following their recent continental heartbreak, where they were eliminated 3-2 on penalties by Red Arrows FC in the CAF Confederation Cup second preliminary round.
Chiefs sealed their spot in the quarter-finals thanks to a brilliant second-half hat-trick from pacey forward Wandile Duba, keeping their hopes of silverware alive this season.
Prior to Tuesday’s clash against Galaxy, Da Cruz had found himself under mounting pressure following Chiefs’ early exit from continental football and an underwhelming display on the domestic front.
The convincing win over the Rockets also snapped a five-match winless streak across all competitions for Amakhosi, whose last victory had come in early September against Siwelele FC.
With demanding Chiefs supporters raising questions over Da Cruz’s future, the club recently issued a statement affirming their full support for the current coaching staff.
DA CRUZ EXPRESSES HAPPINESS IN MOTAUNG JR’S SUPPORT
Reacting to the board’s vote of confidence, Da Cruz admitted that the backing serves as a significant morale booster as the team moves forward.
“First thing, I would like to thank the club for the statement; I would like to thank the sporting director and the board for the statement they made,” Cruz said. “You must know that it’s clear in such a club to have a meeting every month to speak about the team and project.
“The confidence that he [Motaung Jr] has given to us [technical team] is very important for our daily work. Even if we win, draw or we lose, we need to analyse the situation very well.
“And in our meeting, we always speak about improving the team every day, and today [Tuesday] there’s no better coaching than last week. The board and the sporting director are there every day to see the commitment of the staff.
“When we analyse the situation, as can be said, we were unlucky during all the draws we played. Some of these draws we deserved to win, and we are also unlucky with injured players.”
Da Cruz will now look to build on the momentum as Chiefs take on bitter rivals Orlando Pirates in a highly anticipated Soweto Derby in the Betway Premiership. The two titans clash at FNB Stadium on Saturday afternoon, with kickoff set for 15:30 CAT.
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