Free tickets for fans as Chiefs mark milestone

As the club turns 50… it will have to do some serious introspection

THE most supported team in the country, and even southern Africa, is celebrating a huge milestone tomorrow.

Kaizer Chiefs turns 50 years old, and to celebrate the occasion the club will allow its fans free entry at FNB Stadium on Wednesday, when the team takes on Highlands Park.

In five decades, Amakhosi have grown to be the biggest sporting institution in the country, with millions of supporters in South Africa and also outside its borders.

Everything the club touches turns to gold, which is fitting, as the players are clad in gold and black colours.

The Glamour Boys sold prestige and the high life when the club was born during the dark days of apartheid, when black aspirations couldn’t go over a certain level due to the oppressive regime.

What’s more inspirational is that the club’s chairman was only 26 years old when the club was founded.

He probably never imagined how huge it would grow, not only boasting the most fans in the country, but also holding the record for the most titles in every domestic knockout competition.

Chiefs are the undisputed cup kings. But in the past four seasons, their crown has weighed heavily as the club failed to win a trophy in those seasons.

This had never previously happened to the club in the Premier Soccer League, which started in 1996.

As they reflect on a glorious past, Chiefs will also be planning an assault on the future. But to do that, they have to improve certain aspects of how they do business, like their scouting.

In years gone by the club’s name alone was enough to get them the best players in the country, and some parts of the continent.

That’s not the case any more, so introspection will be important when they reach this milestone: to examine how they got here and how they can be competitive and keep their crown for the next 50 years.