Chiefs hold onto dream of CAF win
Kaizer Chiefs have never stopped dreaming about winning the CAF Champions League, the club’s football manager Bobby Motaung said.
Amakhosi have been no great shakes in continental competitions in the past few years and they were recently dumped out of the Confederation Cup in the qualifying stages by Zambian side Zesco United after a 5-2 aggregate defeat.
Motaung said they hoped to change their poor returns on the continent and emulate rivals Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns‚ the only SA sides to have climbed to the summit of continental club football.
“The Champions League has always been our ambition and it will always be‚” he said.
“This season we have been knocked out of the Confederation Cup but sometimes it works in your favour.
“Definitely‚ going to the Champions League remains one of our ambitions and that is why when we beef up the squad now and at the end of the season we will do so looking at those challenges that lie ahead of us.”
Chiefs have not won a trophy since they were crowned Absa Premiership champions in 2015 and Motaung said the signing of 21-year-old defender Reeve Frosler from Bidvest Wits gaves a hint of their plans for the future.
“It was a coup for us and it is part of the long-term plan.
“We have been looking at his movements and we informed Wits early that we were negotiating with the player [Frosler],” he said.
“We settled with Wits and his arrival is part of looking forward to the future and also he is backup in case of injuries.
“He is a quality youngster who is playing for the junior national team and has lots of potential.”
Motaung also asked Chiefs fans to be patient with 22-yearold striker Ryan Moon, who has struggled to establish himself in the Chiefs starting lineup and has had a difficult time finding the back of the net.
“Moon has a contract with us and he still has a long journey with us – you must remember that younger players need time‚” Motaung said.
“It is the same with Dumisani Zuma‚ sometimes he is on a [performance] high and sometimes he is on a low.
“Younger players are not consistent but it is a question of patience and time because we believe in their talents.”
Amakhosi are sixth on the Absa Premiership standings, 10 points adrift of log leaders Bidvest Wits.