Chiefs give Hunt the boot
THE writing has been on the wall for a while! And it was a matter of when Gavin Hunt would go.
The decorated coach suffered his first sacking in his 26-year career after Kaizer Chiefs parted ways with him yesterday.
The 56-year-old’s dismissal follows Chiefs’ inconsistent displays in the Dstv Premiership. The most recent embarrassment was a 2-1 loss against basement club Black Leopards at the Thohoyandou Stadium on Wednesday.
With two games remaining, Hunt leaves Chiefs 11th in the league and 30 points behind already confirmed league champions Mamelodi Sundowns. They are closer to the relegation zone than to the champions as they lead Leopards by a mere eight points.
The Chiefs fan base has been divided on his performances this season. The Soweto giants did not challenge for the title, and many feel that he should have got the most out of his players, especially as the same side finished second last season.
Despite his inability to bring consistency to the Chiefs cause, Hunt had some admirers within the Chiefs support base.
For one, he is one of the most successful coaches in the PSL era with four league titles to his name. He also had to negotiate a two-window transfer ban. So, he essentially inherited a psychologically shattered Chiefs team which dramatically lost the league title in the 2019/20 season despite having led the title race for the majority of the season under Ernst Middendorp.
Amidst all of Chiefs’ frustrations this season, Hunt led Amakhosi to the semi-final of the CAF Champions League where they will play against Wydad AC next month. Chiefs outperformed South African rivals Sundowns in the continental showpiece as Masandawana were eliminated in the quarter-final by Pitso Mosimane’s Al Ahly.
Hunt’s sacking comes at a time when Amakhosi are expected to be on a player recruitment drive. Should the process to hire a new tactician take longer, the Motaung family headed by club manager Bobby, may have to recruit new players before the coach arrives to stave off competition for signatures from rival clubs. What next for Hunt?
If one thing is certain, Hunt does not stay inactive for long. In nearly three decades of involvement in the game, he has never taken a long break. He will also feel that he has unfinished business after his spell with the Glamour Boys ended abruptly.
With Dstv Premiership clubs regularly chopping and changing coaches, it is probable that Hunt will be back sooner rather than later.
Though some might say that he was tactically exposed this season, he is one of the best and most experienced tacticians in South African football, so there will be no shortage of clubs looking to recruit him.
Orlando Pirates coach Josef Zinnbauer is under pressure and so is Supersport United coach Kaitano Tembo.
A move across Soweto to the Buccaneers or an emotional return to Supersport, where he won three league titles, could just be on the cards.