Chiefs hierarchy may be at the heart of crisis
THE time has come for the 77-yearold Kaizer Motaung to arrest Kaizer Chiefs’ spectacular fall from grace.
The 52-year-old club has plumbed the depths of despair and for the first time in its storied history has racked up four consecutive league defeats. By Sunday it could be five after facing Premiership champions Mamelodi Sundowns.
When Motaung does decide to give the matter some thought, he should not surround himself with any current members of the club’s critical leadership positions. The present hierarchy may be at the heart of the crisis and as it turns out they are members of the Motaung family.
Six years have now passed, and Chiefs have failed to win a trophy.
Last July, Motaung appointed his son Kaizer Motaung Jr as the club’s sporting director. In modern-day football, it is a vital position.
Local fans were recently given an insight into the functions of the sporting director when Sundowns appointed Flemming Berg, the former Chelsea chief scout and former
Danish FA official.
Before Berg’s appointment, Sundowns’ director was Jose Ramon Alexanko, a former Barcelona academy director. He famously gave Pep Guardiola his first managerial push.
If this position of the sporting director is so significant, why would Motaung appoint a greenhorn like his son?
Maybe the time has come for Motaung to step aside and call in outside help. He cannot be appointing officials simply because they are members of his family.
Perhaps he should take a leaf out of Safa’s book, who called on former players, coaches and managers to select the new Bafana Bafana coach. They chose Hugo Broos; and it has turned out to be a great choice.
There are also question marks hanging over Amakhosi’s football manager Bobby Motaung, another son of Kaizer. Traditionally the manager is directly involved in almost every aspect of the club, is at the forefront of transfers, contracts and ensuring that all the team’s requirements are catered for.
Recently, interim co-coach Arthur Zwane said there are some players at Chiefs that are not good enough.
Two years ago, then coach Gavin Hunt said something similar. On several occasions, Hunt admitted he did not have answers to questions that head coaches would normally be equipped to speak on.
What was apparent then was that somebody other than the head coach was making decisions which should be the prerogative of the coach. Clearly, this has proved disastrous.
Thousands of Chiefs fans have become highly disillusioned with the current situation. It showed at FNB Stadium Saturday when the stands were largely deserted, and Motaung must correct that now.