Chiefs, sort yourselves out!

What has befallen Kaizer Chiefs in almost a decade now is nothing to joke or laugh about. Something needs to be done … and done sooner than later! South African football can’t have the Naturena-based club looking as out of sorts as they’ve been. After all, this is the most-supported team in the country and there’s a reason they rank among teams enjoying the biggest fanbase in the continent.

Amakhosi are one of the teams expected to become the pillar and face of South African football. Some people have a field day whenever coach Hugo Broos announces his Bafana Bafana squad without any player from Naturena, mocking the Glamour Boys, and more so whenever they lose a game. Despite all of that, the team’s only shining light has been their development structures producing quality players who are admired by the supporters. Due to the team’s struggles, even their brightest light has been dimmed these days.

Having played 12 rounds of fixtures so far, Amakhosi have already appeared in front of the League’s Disciplinary Committee four times. This is unheard of and should be condemned in the strongest possible terms. One of the biggest tragedies during this rough time for Dr. Kaizer Motaung’s team, something not much attention is given to, is the impact the lack of silverware has had on the team’s development structures. Yours truly once mentioned on this platform that the FIFA ban could have been the team’s blessing in disguise, as they were barred from signing players for two transfer windows and therefore had to dig deep into their development reservoir. The ban forced the Naturena-based club to make do with what they had at the time. That saw their development products enjoying regular minutes under their belts because the club had no choice but to play them. The talent that came through looked promising and some of those young stars were touted as the next best thing to happen not only to the Glamour Boys but to South African football at large. What has happened to those players since then?

The coaching merry-go-round at the club is well-documented and it didn’t go without causing harm to Amakhosi’s youth. With each coach coming in with his philosophy, not forgetting the importance of keeping their job by trying to get positive results at all costs, most of the junior players have been overlooked in favour of more senior campaigners as the coaches are desperately trying to turn the tide. Looking back, most of those promising stars’ careers have stagnated because game-time has been few and far between, undoing most of the progress made during the two-window transfer ban. Some of these development products are now coming on as impact players, warming the bench or watching from the stands. From enjoying regular game-time at a young age, playing for the biggest team, looking promising and keeping the supporters on the edge of their seats to some of them slowly being forgotten about because of lack of regular activity. The reason for this is simply because the club has not enjoyed any positive results on a regular basis and therefore, every coach who comes in opts to go with the tried and tested. Before they achieve their target, they find themselves at the exit door and then it is on to the next one, at the revolving door. The next coach inherits the same challenges and does the same thing as his predecessor, getting the same results and causing the same damage to the youth development products.

This has really caused more harm to the young players instead of enhancing their game. Their lack of progression means the club is shooting themselves in the foot by producing quality players that are unused in the senior team. They continue to sign old (read experienced) players to plug the holes and try to get immediate results – short-term planning at the expense of long-term results. Whether you want to admit it or not, this exercise is counterproductive to investing in youth development. After all, the whole idea of putting money into development is investment that should come with returns. Currently, Chiefs aren’t utilising their development products to their maximum because they are desperate for results and therefore brought in new and experienced campaigners. Truth be told, not all of those tried and tested campaigners have done better than the team’s development products. One wonders why the team cannot just be patient with their products, short-term pain for long-term gain, and allow them to grow into the system. Under coach Arthur Zwane and Gavin Hunt, these young stars were enjoying regular game-time and it was beautiful to see the team’s development products dominating the headlines for good performances. That took us back to the days when Orlando Pirates had no less than seven development products in their starting line-up, even in the Soweto Derby, under coach Kostadin Papic. In an ideal world, that’s what every club owner wants to see happening with the development coaches reaping the rewards of their hard labour. By so doing, the team’s future is secured because some of those players will be sold and open up space for new youngsters coming through the ranks and that means less and less chances of the team bringing in eight or so new signings almost every transfer window. Also, having the bulk of the development products in the team means you are playing with players with the club’s DNA and these players know everything there is to know about the club. They are not just at the club because they were signed, but they are players with the club’s best interests at heart. These are players who know exactly what it means to don the club’s jersey and they can relate to the supporters because they have been the club’s supporters themselves before turning professional. Imagine a club that doesn’t rely on the transfer market to survive because they have their own products making up most of the squad. You can’t ask for a better return on investment.

Chiefs looked set to do just that, but that has all changed, as the club’s focus is on trying to turn the tide. By so doing, the club is setting these young fellows’ careers back because they are not enjoying the same amount of game-time, which is not good for neither their careers nor the club. As bad as this is, you can’t blame the coaches because the club needs to sort themselves out! For as long as they are going through this slump, it is going to be difficult for the coaches to play the young stars because it is a case of horses for courses. To introduce development products is a process and you need to have a stable team that is doing well. For you to depend on them to change things, at that young age, not many of them will be able to stand the heat and they might be forced to walk before they could crawl, which is bad for their development. You don’t want to put such a heavy burden on their young shoulders, especially playing for such a big team, with the added pressure of the desperation to get things right. That’s why Chiefs need to sort themselves out and make sure that they are back to winning ways so that the development of their promising stars is not harmed.

A decade is approaching since the last time Chiefs won any silverware and the longer this unwanted record continues, the worst it is for their development products. They will have all the odds stacked against them when it comes to regular game-time because the incoming coach will be looking for immediate results to buy himself time on the job. The only way for these players to develop and grow is through regular game-time and it is important that they get a fair chance so that they can improve. The sooner this is done, the better, and Chiefs really need to sort themselves out because it is not good for them to be where they are on the log, not to mention the continued trophy drought.

On another sad note, heartfelt condolences to Papi Khomane’s family, friends, former teammates and everyone who knew the former Orlando Pirates captain, following his untimely and tragic passing away together with his mother in a car accident. May his soul rest in peace!