Kaizer Chiefs considering coaching changes as Arthur Zwane backing wavers

Zwane is in his maiden campaign on the hot seat following the decision to appoint the former Amakhosi winger on a three-year contract almost exactly 12 months ago after he’d held the reins on an interim basis.  

And with the club revamping the squad and recruiting new faces, as well as dropping the average age of the team overall, the coach was on a learning curve but still expected to end a seven-year trophy drought. 

However, on Saturday following a narrow 1-0 defeat to SuperSport United at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium, the season all but ended for Amakhosi with no silverware and their hopes of securing a place in CAF tournaments officially gone. 

It was also the first time Chiefs lost 11 DStv Premiership matches in the history of the Premier Soccer League era. 

SABC Sport now understands the backing Zwane enjoyed from management when he initially took over is shaky, with high-ranking sources indicating the club will actively look for a replacement. 

It’s believed the decision is not official and could have been triggered by yet another defeat a week after being eliminated from the Nedbank Cup at the hands of bitter rivals Orlando Pirates in the semifinals. 

Last week, speaking to the public broadcaster’s sports desk at the memorial for veteran administrator Alex ‘Goldfingers’ Shakoane, football manager Bobby Motaung admitted it was a challenging year. 

“When we started the season, we knew it was not going to be smooth. We had youngsters, we had a young coach with young technical staff, and everything has been fresh,” he explained. 

“Next season, we are definitely going to beef up and look at where the challenges were, and work on it…football is a journey, it's not a one-night thing or a one-day thing. We are in that journey.” 

But his remarks came before Chiefs travelled to Rustenburg to face SuperSport, who are led by former coach Gavin Hunt, sacked and replaced by Stuart Baxter in 2021 before Zwane took over in May last year.

SuperSport, along with champions Mamelodi Sundowns, Orlando Pirates and Sekhukhune United (Nedbank Cup finalists) will represent the PSL in CAF interclub competitions next season.

The only way this arrangement changes is if Marumo Gallants win the Confederation Cup, but they will have to overturn the 2-0 deficit from the first leg against Young Africans on Wednesday in the semi-finals first.  

According to insiders, Chiefs are likely to exhaust all other alternatives in searching for a coach and failing which, Zwane, who worked his way up as a youth tactician at Naturena after retiring, could get a stay of execution…but with a tight leash. 

The fans have also turned on the coach, a fraction of them pelting him with objects on Saturday and forcing him to need a police escort to leave the Royal Bafokeng Stadium after the game.