Hunt Dismisses Zwane’s Lack Of Support Claim At Chiefs

SuperSport United coach Gavin Hunt has dismissed rumors that he didn’t receive full support from Arthur Zwane during their time together at Kaizer Chiefs.

When Hunt was appointed Chiefs coach in September 2020, Zwane and Dillon Sheppard served as his assistants. However, it was alleged that Zwane did not provide adequate support to Hunt and may have even undermined him.

Hunt, who replaced Ernst Middendorp at the time, left Chiefs in May 2021, with the team in danger of missing out on a top-eight finish. Despite this, Hunt had guided Chiefs to the semifinals of the CAF Champions League. They ultimately reached the final of the competition, despite being under a FIFA transfer ban.

“Who said that? You’re listening to hearsay. But that’s all in the past now, whatever it was,” Hunt responded.

After Hunt’s dismissal, Zwane took over as interim coach and guided Chiefs to a top-eight finish in the 2020/21 season and to the Champions League final, where they defeated Wydad Casablanca in the semifinals.

However, for the final, Chiefs appointed Stuart Baxter, and they lost to Pitso Mosimane’s Al Ahly.

During the 2021/22 season, SuperSport defeated Zwane’s Chiefs in a league match in Rustenburg. Zwane was escorted off the field by police after fans threw missiles at him.

Hunt’s celebrations after the SuperSport win appeared to be excessive, and it was suggested that he was directing his celebrations toward Zwane.

When asked about his over-the-top reaction, Hunt explained that it was a crucial win for his club.

“That was the game that secured our place in Africa (by finishing third and qualifying for the CAF Confederation Cup),” Hunt defended. “It wasn’t about anything else. We qualified for Africa, and we finished third, which was a big achievement for the club because they hadn’t been in the top four since I left (in 2013). So, finishing third was a significant accomplishment.”

SuperSport will face Zwane, who is now co-coach at AmaZulu with Vusi Vilakazi, at the Moses Mabhida Stadium on Saturday (20:00).