“It’s An Emotional One”: Kaze Returns To FNB Stadium To Face Chiefs
Sekhukhune United coach Cedric Kaze admits facing former club Kaizer Chiefs on Wednesday will be an emotional occasion as he prepares for a significant reunion.
The Burundian mentor will lead Babina Noko against Amakhosi at FNB Stadium in a Betway Premiership encounter, marking his first meeting with his former employers since the Soweto giants parted ways with him at the end of last season.
Kaze spent the previous two seasons at Naturena, where he worked as an assistant coach under Nasreddine Nabi. During his first season with the club, he helped Chiefs end their 10-year trophy drought as Amakhosi lifted the Nedbank Cup.
Last season, Kaze was once again part of the Chiefs technical team, working as co-coach alongside Khalil Ben Youssef as the club secured a top-three finish in the Betway Premiership. That result saw Amakhosi qualify for the CAF Confederation Cup and secure a place in the MTN8.
Chiefs, however, have already been eliminated from this season’s MTN8 after losing to Golden Arrows.
Kaze has since moved on to Sekhukhune United, where he has made an impressive start to life at Babina Noko. His side began their campaign with a victory over Durban City before defeating AmaZulu in the MTN8 quarter-final last weekend.
A victory against Chiefs on Wednesday would see Sekhukhune maintain their perfect start to the season, having won all their matches so far.
However, Kaze first needs his players to recover from the physical demands of their victory over AmaZulu before turning their full attention to their trip to FNB Stadium.
“You know, it’s an emotional one, coming on Wednesday,” he said.
“But we must first recover well because I feel like this game, the semi-final game against AmaZulu on Sunday, took a lot of toll on the players physically.
“But I’m pretty sure that we will be ready for the challenge on Wednesday.”
While the occasion will have an emotional element for Kaze, the former Chiefs assistant coach is also aware that his team needs to remain tactically flexible if they are to continue their winning run.
The 47-year-old believes opponents will arrive with plans based on what they have seen from Sekhukhune, making it important for his side to be capable of changing their approach during matches.
“Yeah, because, you know, everyone comes to a game with plans, having watched you a lot of times,” he added.
“We need to be able to be flexible, to surprise other teams, and we need a team that can do different things at different times during the game.”
The encounter therefore presents a different challenge for the former Amakhosi coach, who will return to FNB Stadium on the opposite side of the touchline as he looks to guide his new club to another important victory.
