Kaze: Critics Will Eat Humble Pie At The End Of The Season
Kaizer Chiefs co-coach Cedric Kaze says he feels fully supported at the club and insists that questions about his credentials are coming from outside the organisation.
Kaze was speaking after Chiefs’ 1–0 victory over Golden Arrows on Tuesday, a result that lifted Amakhosi to third place on the Betway Premiership standings.
He revealed that there has been criticism from another coach targeting both himself and fellow co-coach Khalil Ben Youssef, despite that coach never having won any major honours.
Kaze believes he and Ben Youssef will have the last laugh, adding that their critics will eventually apologise.
However, he stressed that the real judgement will come at the end of the season, a message aimed at reassuring both Chiefs supporters and management that the team is pushing for the league title.
Kaze and Ben Youssef were appointed as co-coaches in September following the departure of Nasreddine Nabi and were handed the responsibility of leading the team until the end of the season. Nabi had guided Chiefs to Nedbank Cup glory last season, ending the club’s 10-year trophy drought.
Despite that success, there have been doubts over whether the current technical team has what it takes to take Amakhosi forward this season, even after the club signed more than 10 new players at the start of the campaign.
However, Chiefs appear to be on the right track. They currently sit third on the log with 27 points from 14 matches, just one point behind second-placed Orlando Pirates, who have two games in hand.
League leaders Mamelodi Sundowns top the table with 29 points from 14 matches, having played two more games than Pirates.
“I don’t feel that I’m not trusted. I feel very, very supported within the team,” said Kaze.
“With the management, the players and all the colleagues working with us. Sometimes it’s people from outside who try to create stories, and I feel there is a lack of respect when people speak about the position while there is already a coach in charge, saying, ‘I will make them champions.’
“When you look at the history of that coach, he has never done that before. Sometimes journalists speak about us like they don’t even know our names.
“We know what we are doing. We are qualified. At the end of the season, we will meet again, and I’m pretty sure everyone will apologise.”
Chiefs will now shift their focus to continental action as they prepare to face ZESCO United in a CAF Confederation Cup group-stage match in Zambia on Sunday, having recorded one defeat and one draw in their opening group matches.
