Apologies may be coming as Cedric Kaze and Khalil Ben Youssef help Kaizer Chiefs find their feet
Cedric Kaze and Khalil Ben Youssef have steadied the ship at Kaizer Chiefs. The Soweto giants are mounting a serious challenge for the Betway Premiership title.
Image: BackpagePix
Cedric Kaze and Khalil Ben Youssef are steadily emerging as two of the most influential figures at Kaizer Chiefs this season, with Wednesday night’s narrow 1-0 victory over Marumo Gallants lifting Amakhosi into second place in the Betway Premiership.
The result left Amakhosi amahle just two points behind perennial champions Mamelodi Sundowns and further underlined the growing impact of the co-coaches as belief continues to build within the camp.
The pair will be delighted to be proving their critics wrong. Ever since the pair were promoted to the position of co-coaches after the sacking of Nasreddine Nabi earlier this season, there have been doubts from fans, pundits and former players.
As the club were enduring a difficult time in December, where they drew a number of consecutive games, knives were out. Former Kaizer Chiefs star Isaac Mabotsa urged the club to appoint a new head coach, as he did not believe Kaze and Ben Youssef were up to the task.
Chiefs great Joseph “Banks” Setlhodi joined in the chorus of discontent when he criticised their knowledge of the game.
“Those guys there, I doubt they know anything about football,” the former Chiefs goalkeeper said in December.
The only legend who was in Kaze and Ben Youssef’s corner was William “Cool Cat” Shongwe, who felt there was a clear progression this season compared to where the club was in previous campaigns.
With 15 games remaining, Shongwe’s take on the situation is proving to be correct. The club haven’t always been perfect, but they’ve managed to win ugly in games they would have lost or drawn in the past.
After their 1-0 win over Golden Arrows last week, Kaze gave an impassioned press conference in which he said he was waiting for their critics to apologise. Should the results continue, those who doubted whether he and Ben Youssef were right for the job may soon find themselves eating their words.
Ultimately, whether Chiefs are genuine title contenders will be decided in the grind of the weeks ahead, but the signs are unmistakable. This is a team rediscovering its edge, resilience and belief, guided by coaches who have quietly shut out the noise and stuck to their plan. If Amakhosi continue to pair results with that growing conviction, this season could yet be remembered as the moment progress finally turned into something real.
IOL Sport
* The views expressed are not necessarily the views of IOL or Independent Media.
** JOIN THE CONVERSATION: Send us an email with your comments, thoughts or responses to iolletters@inl.co.za. Letters should be a maximum of 500 words, and may be edited for length. Anonymous correspondence will not be published. Submissions should include a contact number and physical address (not for publication).