Chiefs and Hunt’s camp meet!

The Siya crew has reported for several months that Gavin Hunt is on the ropes at Kaizer Chiefs, with his future at the club in doubt.

Despite his pedigree and track record of winning trophies, a total of four championship titles in the Premier Soccer League era, Hunt has been battling to turn Amakhosi into the welloiled machine everyone expected them to be when he took over.

For that to happen, Siya sources have indicated that the coach requested that management offload at least 15 players – including about 10 whose contracts will expire at the end of the season – for him to rebuild the team.

The appeal, insiders said, has been termed unrealistic by the Chiefs hierarchy, though the latest meeting held behind the scenes suggests that the club could still try appease the coach if the decision taken by the board is to retain his services.

As things stand, the board is divided on whether Hunt is the right man to take the Glamour Boys forward.

Hunt signed a three-year contract at Naturena in September last year to replace Ernst Middendorp, but the poor run of form and his general approach as well as public remarks about the ability of the current crop of players has irked management.

Chiefs also expect Hunt to clinch a Top 8 finish with four games to go, and failure to do so may result in the coach being axed.

Meanwhile, it appears as though they are forging ahead with plans for next season!

According to a well-placed source, Hunt’s camp has met with Chiefs recently and for now the club’s management is backing the head coach. In what may come as a surprise, a source close to Amakhosi informed the Siya crew that Hunt has been requested to outline his proposal for the 2021/22 campaign.

According to the source, when Hunt’s camp and Chiefs met, there was no talk of a possible exit. But whether he will be in charge to see it through depends heavily on Chiefs’ performance in the remaining matches and their CAF Champions League run.

A second source, however, has informed the Siya crew that Amakhosi have already started assessing their options in the event that Hunt is let go. According to the source, the club is planning behind the scenes should there be a change at the helm.

It comes as no surprise, though at this point in time, indications are that Hunt still has time to convince his critics that he can take the team forward.