Kaze Sends Direct Message To Chiefs Board
Kaizer Chiefs co-coach Cedric Kaze hopes he has made it “difficult” for management to overlook him for the permanent job next season, despite finishing the campaign with a disappointing 1-0 defeat against Chippa United on Saturday.
The club’s hierarchy will meet with Kaze and co-coach Khalil Ben Youssef next week to decide their long-term future, according to Kaze.
The final-day loss means Amakhosi once again ended their season with a whimper. Sinoxolo Kwayiba scored the game’s only goal in the first half, helping Brandon Truter’s side avoid the drop, at the Moses Mabhida Stadium.
The vital three points secured top-flight football for the Gqeberha-based side despite enduring a chaotic season marked by numerous coaching changes.
The Final-Day Curse: Chiefs have now failed to win their final match of the league season for five consecutive years. The last time Amakhosi tasted victory on the final matchday was the 2020/21 campaign when they defeated TS Galaxy.
Last season, they walked away with a sluggish 0-0 draw against Polokwane City at FNB Stadium.
How many points did Kaizer Chiefs finish with in the 2025/26 season?
Kaze’s side entered the weekend clash with the luxury of having already locked down third place, eventually finishing the season on 54 points.
Significantly, this marks the first time the Naturena outfit has crossed the 50-point threshold since the 2019/20 season, when Ernst Middendorp’s side famously lost the title on the final day to finish second with 57 points.
With continental football and a top-three finish wrapped up, the technical team utilized the fixture to hand crucial minutes to fringe stars and academy graduates.
Among those blooded on the afternoon were highly-rated starlets Luke Baartman, Takalani Mazhamba, and Naledi Hlongwane.
What did Cedric Kaze say about his upcoming meeting with the Chiefs board?
Replying to Sportswire after the final whistle at the press conference, Kaze did not hide his desire to lead the Soweto giants into the upcoming season permanently.
“I’m hoping so,” Kaze stated.
“I’m hoping that I have made it difficult to overlook us.”
Kaze originally arrived in Naturena early in the 2024/25 campaign to serve as an assistant to Nasreddine Nabi.
While that technical team managed to lift the Nedbank Cup, a dismal ninth-place league finish—following a tenth-place disaster under Cavin Johnson the year prior—forced the club into restructuring.
Management subsequently handed Kaze and Ben Youssef the interim co-coaching reins in October after Nabi’s departure.
Kaze admitted he expected questions regarding his future at the club would come from the media.
“It’s up to the board, and next week we will probably meet to assess the season as well as the coaches,” he said.
“There are things we need to put clearly on the table that we believe can help push the team forward. It’s going to be a discussion between both parties about continuing together, and I’m pretty sure you will get the information soon enough.”
