Despite it being a mammoth task and one of the toughest jobs in South African football, Molefi Ntseki was never one to shy away when asked to take the bull by the horns and lead Kaizer Chiefs as head coach for 2023/24. He had, after all, been with the club since 2021, having arrived as Head of Technical and Youth Development Academy. The mentor had been appointed on a three-year deal and indications are that he and the club continued with the same deal when he became first team head coach in June. At the time of the appointment, the former Bafana Bafana coach was seen as a short-term solution by many after the Soweto giants were unsuccessful in securing the services of Nasreddine Nabi. With Ntseki's three-year contract set to expire next June, it had been thought that the 54-year-old would oversee the Amakhosi bench until then, with the club understood to have been open to assessing options for a long-term coaching solution. However, sources have indicated that the coach is part of the plans at Naturena-based outfit, who are believed to be considering offering him a new and improved long-term contract! The Siya crew investigates the options for Chiefs and Ntseki…
What the Siya crew has been told…
Kaizer Chiefs are having a big call to make on Molefi Ntseki regarding his future and the club's plans, Siya sources have indicated. In elevating the ex-Bloemfontein Celtic assistant coach to the head coach role, the club did not confirm if there were any changes made to his original deal which had one year remaining from the three years he signed for two years ago.
Having been part of the set-up, there have been hiccups for sure, but results leading up to the FIFA international break suggest that the team is moving in the right direction, and indications are that offering the coach a new contract is an idea that has been bandied about by the decision-makers at Naturena.
"The club is seeing a long-term working relationship with the coach. His work ethic has impressed the management and the way he has managed to blend the new players with the rest of the group is being commended. Against (Mamelodi) Sundowns (in the MTN8 first leg semi-final), Chiefs had a chance to win the game with how well they played. Those are the things that are being looked at and putting the coach in a favourable position for a long stay with the club," revealed a source.
Compared to how the Soweto giants finished the 2022/23 campaign, the improvement is now starting to show, despite what appeared to be a wobbly start.
"There have been a lot of changes since the coach took over and there are positive signs for the club under his guidance. The players have upped their game and the way the team is playing has improved a lot compared to last season," the source added.
"There is improvement in the results, which is the most important thing for any club or coach, and at the end of the day, everything will come down to the coach and he will be judged based on the results. What is noticeable though is that the team has started playing in a more structured way and as a unit with intention of getting the results consistently, and the club's hierarchy is happy.
"This season, Chiefs go to games showing seriousness in wanting to get the results, unlike in the past. The coach has managed to make players like (Brandon) Petersen and others to believe in themselves again and it takes a leader to do so," noted the mole.
"The new boy from Venezuela (Edson Castillo) is adjusting well and has done so well since he started playing, and that can be attributed to good coaching."
Continuation of improved results will put Ntseki in an advantageous position so that Amakhosi look no further for a coach for next season and beyond, it has been confirmed by close sources.
"The assessment will be done as the season progresses and, in the end, they will look at the guy and the progress made and decide. So far, things are looking promising for him, and it is a step in the right direction for all the parties. This is a good coach and a good person with a good profile despite all that has been said about him since his appointment as the head coach," the source said.
"This is a top professional who has been part of the Chiefs set-up and he knows the ins and outs of the club. The management wouldn't have made the mistake of taking a chance on someone with no pedigree and surely his profile was thoroughly looked at in deciding to appoint him," concluded the informant.
What are the facts?
After the Glamour Boys ended 2022/23 disappointingly with a loss to Cape Town City, in the process earning a place in the history books for the wrong reasons, there seems to be light at the end of the tunnel. The side ended the previous campaign with a record 12 league losses, the most to have ever been suffered by the Naturena-based outfit in a single campaign in the PSL era. This season, they have collected seven points from the opening five matches (two wins, a draw and two losses), while around this time last year it was two victories and three defeats.
Ntseki's men are tied on points (seven) with five other teams in the race to catch up with Downs at the top of the standings, and back-to-back convincing victories over AmaZulu FC and Stellenbosch FC respectively will serve as a motivation for the team to continue with the momentum after the break.
The new man in charge has also led the side to the MTN8 semifinals, which is what his predecessor Arthur Zwane also achieved, although his was through a penalty shootout against Stellenbosch FC, before being denied a place in the final by Usuthu. However, supporters have been rather impatient, demanding immediate results. Their recent actions, throwing objects towards Ntseki as he made his way out of the field after a 1-0 loss against TS Galaxy at Mbombela Stadium, led to the club being recently fined by the PSL for supporter misbehaviour.
The Soweto giants were fined R100 000, of which R30,000 was suspended for a period of 24 months on condition that the club is not found guilty of the same offence during the period of suspension.
Last Tuesday, as part of the punishment, Chiefs wrote an apology to the league and the sponsors on the club's official website, and it read:
Ms Mato Madlala
Acting Chief Executive Officer
Premier Soccer League
Dear Ms Madlala
LETTER OF APOLOGY FOR KAIZER CHIEFS' SUPPORTERS' BEHAVIOUR AT KAIZER CHIEFS V TS GALAXY FC PSL FIXTURE ON 20 AUGUST 2023
Kaizer Chiefs hereby unreservedly apologises to the PSL, all PSL member clubs, TS Galaxy FC and all of its peace-loving supporters, for the behaviour of some of its supporters at the club's PSL fixture against TS Galaxy FC at Mbombela Stadium on 20 August 2023.
The club condemns this poor and unacceptable behaviour in the strongest possible terms.
We have commenced a process of engaging with Kaizer Chiefs' branches on supporter behaviour at football matches.
Yours Sincerely
Kaizer Chiefs Football Club
The story behind the scenes
Chiefs could go Technical Director route
With the side's off-season changes, there is a vacant Head of Technical position that was left by Ntseki. In line with the latest trends in modern football as clubs prefer to beef up with as many great minds as possible, the Glamour Boys might look to fill the position for Ntseki and his current technical team to have a different view on situations from the stands on matchdays and to assist in the planning.
In consultation with Sporting Director Kaizer Motaung Jr. and the club's hierarchy, Ntseki could be allowed to have his own choice of the new man to bring on board as Technical Director.
While Nabi had appeared to be a frontrunner for the Chiefs job in June, his suggestion of his own technical team put paid to his chances of joining the club despite having already left his position as coach of Tanzanian giants Young Africans in hopes of a switch to the Soweto giants.
The 58-year-old, who has since moved to Moroccan outfit FAR Rabat, is unlikely to be considered at Amakhosi for now, even if for a Technical Director role, if the club were to go that direction.
Asked for comment, Nabi exclusively told the Siya crew, "Please pardon me, I honestly feel it would be inappropriate for me to answer these questions. I hope you understand the sensitivity of some of these issues. Maybe someday we will have this discussion. Thank you and all the best with everything."
Soccer Laduma understands that former Sundowns coach Miguel Gamondi, who replaced Nabi at Yanga, could be considered for a Chiefs role in future. Locally, Sekhukhune United's Brandon Truter is among coaches who could be considered, with the Cape Town-born mentor having previously been linked to Amakhosi.
Squad restructuring to continue?
During his time as the Head of Development, Ntseki played a big role in fast-tracking the development of some top young talents from the club's youth ranks. Some of the talented youngsters to have been promoted to the first team include Mduduzi Shabalala and Samkelo Zwane, among others. With the club having confirmed in June already that this will be the final year for Itumeleng Khune as a professional footballer after he was handed a one-year contract extension, more youngsters are likely to come up from the development. In recent years, Chiefs have been restructuring as Motaung Jr. re-emphasised on the importance of reducing the average age of the squad, and as a result, players on the wrong side of 30 have been affected, with one of the latest departures being that of Erick Mathoho at the end of last season. Armed with loads of experience in development football, Ntseki will be expected to play a big role in the migration of the Glamour Boys' squad into a new generation as per the club's latest requirements.
Another meeting with supporters?
Following the recent incidents of supporters' misbehaviour at football matches, the club might need to consider calling another meeting with the "spiritual owners" to mend their relationship. In July last year, Chiefs invited supporters to the FNB Stadium to spend a day with players and members of the technical team in what was termed a "Family Day" for the Soweto giants with the aim of ensuring that all the parties were united ahead of the season. The "special event" followed a march the previous year by a group of supporters to the club's headquarters in Naturena where they handed a memorandum to management about their frustrations due to the team's performances.
Secret Agent
"Kaizer Chiefs is a big and respected team and they deserve to go back to the days of winning trophies. They have the right man to help them achieve that in coach Molefi Ntseki. When you see legends like Doctor Khumalo entering Naturena, you just can't help it but get goosebumps because of the memories about the good old days from when they were still playing and doing wonders for the club. Sometimes you need to include guys like that to be part of the set-up, just as a motivation to the current generation, and maybe that's the direction the club should take in the future."
Watch this space
Chairman Dr. Kaizer Motaung will not want to be seen as getting into the habit of chopping and changing coaches like some clubs do, and will hope for the team to have the momentum for the duration of the season. In recent seasons, the club has had frequent coaching changes, with the likes of Gavin Hunt (44 matches), Stuart Baxter (26 games) and Zwane (37 encounters) having taken turns in leading the side. The trophy drought remains. With Ntseki at the helm, management appear to be confident that the right man has been found due to a number of factors, including how the mentor is able to represent the Chiefs brand in the media and in public. The hierarchy is understood to be satisfied in the way the ex-Bafana Bafana mentor has been able to handle media interviews and the comments he makes in line with the cub's high professional standards. As long as results keep improving, Ntseki stands a chance to be allowed to build the Soweto giants into a force to be reckoned with in Mzansi again. Another three-year contract could be on the cardsÉ watch the space!
