Johannesburg – Kaizer Chiefs, a South African club commanding huge support but failing to win a trophy since 2015, fired coach Molefi Ntseki on Monday after a poor start to their campaign.
The Johannesburg club, who draw 90,000 crowds to high-profile domestic matches, have won only three of nine league matches and been eliminated from two knock-out competitions.
Chiefs said in a statement that their academy boss Cavin Johnson, previously an assistant coach at African and Egyptian giants Al Ahly, would take temporary charge.
His first match in charge will be away to second-placed Premiership side Golden Arrows in Durban on Saturday.
Club Update: Chiefs and Ntseki Part Ways
Following a meeting on Monday morning, Molefi Ntseki’s tenure as Head Coach of Kaizer Chiefs has ended amicably by mutual consent.https://t.co/ektYRGBARu
We wish him all the best.#Amakhosi4Life pic.twitter.com/Vb0jc4Bfed
— Kaizer Chiefs (@KaizerChiefs) October 23, 2023
Ntseki had to dodge missiles, including beer bottles, and be escorted from the pitch by police last Saturday after Chiefs suffered a shock League Cup first round loss at home.
A shock appointment by Chiefs, Ntseki had been sacked as national coach after South Africa failed to qualify for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations.
The 54-year-old had never been a club head coach and in June was given a job widely expected to go to Tunisian Nasreddine Nabi, who chose Moroccan side FAR Rabat instead.
Nabi was a sought-after coach having guided perennial international underachievers Young Africans of Tanzania to the final of the CAF Confederation Cup, the African version of the Europa League.
Chiefs have won a record 53 domestic trophies since being formed in 1970, but none since topping the 2015 league table.
Constant failures have not diminished their popularity, however, with Chiefs recently entering the food industry to produce potato crisps.
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Source: AFP
Picture: X/@Cellular_jnr
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