What are the facts?
The fans’ first choice appears to be coach Pitso Mosimane, who has voiced his opinion on possibly joining Amakhosi.
Mosimane is a serial winner, having proven this at every club he has coached at and Chiefs at this moment would be the ideal fit for one of Africa’s most successful coaches. But would he be open to coming back to South Africa?
For the past three years, Mosimane has spent his time in Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to not only grow his global footprint but to prove his worth all over the world. He is currently under contract with Al Wahda, meaning that the Soweto giants would have to negotiate a fee with the UAE club if they are to land his signature.
Chiefs haven’t had much success under local coaches in the last eight years and if there’s anyone who can change this concerning trend, it is the man affectionately known as ‘Jingles’.
History, meanwhile, suggests that the Glamour Boys are most successful when being coached by a foreigner. Probably the most successful coach for them was the late Ted Dumitru, who won four trophies in the two seasons he was at Naturena. The Romanian won backto-back league titles and consecutive Coca Cola Cup titles.
A man who led Chiefs through Operation Vat Alles, Ertugral, is also right up there with the most successful coaches in the PSL era for the Soweto giants. Amakhosi’s only continental title, the Mandela Cup in 2001, was secured by the Turk. He won four other knockout competitions with the club. Under Ertugral, they won everything but the league title.
In his second spell with the club, he won the 2008 MTN8.
Money is one of the biggest factors
A catalyst in ensuring that they land a top coach is that the Soweto will have to break the bank. Money, as is evident, has the power to buy success and top coaches who deliver silverware will not come cheap.
According to Siya sources, Chiefs’ coaches in recent years have been well compensated, though the club lags behind when it comes to their more fancied counterparts on the African continent.
The Naturena-based side, historically, have been known to pay their coaches an annual salary in the region of ±R10 million a year.
However, if they were to land someone like Mosimane, they would have to significantly increase this amount, with the coach understood to be earning in the region of R15 million to R20 million a year.
Although Amakhosi are known for their deep pockets, the last few seasons have been challenging for them to balance the books and a new coach with hefty salary demands could throw a spanner in the works!
Does Chiefs squad have enough depth?
In terms of numbers, the team has a fairly decent squad compared to their counterparts Sundowns and Orlando Pirates. For the 2023/24 season, they have a 34-man squad compared to the Brazilians’ 40 and Bucs’ 35-man squads.
While there are similarities between the three teams in terms of quantity, there is a significant difference in quality and effectiveness.
Amakhosi’s 34-man squad consists of only three regular international players in Thatayaone Ditlhokwe (Botswana), Edson Castillo (Venezuela) and Edmilson Dove (Mozambique). There are a number of players like Sibongiseni Mthethwa, Ashley Du Preez, Given Msimango, Sifiso Hlanti, Siyethemba Sithebe, Pule Mmodi and Yusuf Maart that have been in and out of Hugo Broos’ Bafana Bafana squad, though none of them have been able to command a starting berth.
This is in stark comparison to Downs, who, in addition to seven Bafana regulars, also have Brian Onyango (Kenya), Peter Shalulile (Namibia) and Abubeker Nassir (Ethiopia) as regular fixtures in their national teams.
Similarly, Pirates have seven Mzansi national team regulars as well as Richard Ofori (Ghana), Deon
Hotto (Namibia) and Souaibou Marou (Cameroon), who feature prominently for their national team.
The best coaches will need the best players. This could possibly see Chiefs having to delve into the transfer market once again to strengthen their squad at the end of the season.
Family politics to continue to play a part?
What has been evident with Chiefs in recent years has been the divide between the Motaung siblings, particularly when it comes to the club’s football matters. While the club’s youth and marketing departments continue to thrive, it is around the first team matters where Kaizer Motaung Jr, Bobby Motaung, Kemiso Motaung and Jessica Motaung don’t always see eye-to-eye.
The Siya crew has reported on the underlying tension that has crept into the Chiefs corridors on two fronts: the recruitment of players and the appointment of coaches.
It has been trial and error on both fronts for the better part of the last eight years and if the Soweto giants are to get back to their glory days, there would need to be synergy from the club’s top brass in appointing the correct coach and providing him with sufficient support to carry out his duties without any interruptions.