THE appointment of 58-year-old Tunisia Nasreddine Nabi as Kaizer Chiefs’ new head coach has again prompted club officials to say the club’s culture will be restored.
AmaKhosi officials say they have appointed a coach who knows the history and understands the culture of the club.
These are scary thoughts since Chiefs have passed through a spell of nine years without a trophy. This is the longest spell by far in the club’s illustrious history that they have failed to win a trophy.
In the past, Chiefs have had many foreign coaches and although they knew little of the club’s history, they won trophies.
Right now, the only culture Chiefs know is losing matches and that spell started in the 2015 season. What Chiefs need first and foremost is a coach who will win matches.
Former Moroka Swallows player-coach Walter Rautmann, 78, was recently interviewed on the subject of Chiefs’ woes. He spent many years in South Africa and coached teams like AmaZulu, Blackpool, African Wanderers and Black Leopards against Chiefs.
He said: “All this talk that Chiefs need a coach who knows the club’s culture or history is rubbish. The culture doesn’t play football.
“What is happening now (at Chiefs) is something that I have never known before, so it is strange that this club has been allowed to go down this way.
“I don’t understand why some people find the energy to blame (Mamelodi) Sundowns for buying all the good players and winning everything.
“Chiefs is a far much bigger club than Sundowns, so I feel they should have no excuse in also competing in the (transfer) market.
“You can’t blame Sundowns for putting money into the game. Why are Chiefs being stingy when money is a huge contributing factor to why Sundowns or Manchester City are successful?”
One of the factors that Rautmann touched on was the poor recruitment of players, and his views were endorsed by former Chiefs defender David Kannemeyer during a radio interview.
“There is no planning at Kaizer Chiefs,” said Kannemeyer.
“The culture is gone. There is no philosophy. There is no scouting.
“My former club needs an overall clean-up. The players seem to have no clue who they’re playing for.
“The problems at Chiefs start at the top. I think the sporting director (Kaizer Motaung jr) needs assistance. You need a proper football person ... We don’t look like Chiefs.”
Chiefs are presently in Türkiye for a pre-season camp with new coach Nabi and his supporting staff.
They are set to host Tanzanian champions Young Africans in the inaugural Toyota Cup in Bloemfontein on July 28, which will give fans a taste of what to expect from Amakhosi in the new season.