Motaung Jr admits Kaizer Chiefs ‘let the country down’ in derby

By Dylan Bettencourt

• Kaizer Chiefs sporting director Kaizer Motaung Jr says the club let fans and the country down with four straight losses.

• The co-coaching setup brought in after Nasreddine Nabi left has not worked, and Kaizer Chiefs say changes must be made.

Kaizer Chiefs sporting director Kaizer Motaung Jr has admitted the club let down its fans after four straight losses.

The most painful of those defeats was a derby loss to Orlando Pirates. Motaung Jr said the display in that match was an embarrassment.

“In the derby against Orlando Pirates, we have to take full responsibility,” he said on Radio 94.7. “We let ourselves down, we let the country down. It was an embarrassing display.”

After head coach Nasreddine Nabi left the club, Chiefs brought in a co-coaching arrangement. Motaung Jr said the plan was to bring stability but admitted it has not worked.

“We wanted to create an environment where the coaches and players could give their best,” he said. “But we also understand that results are not coming, and we need to make decisions to change that.”

Some fans have questioned whether the club has a clear direction. Motaung Jr pushed back on this, pointing to the Nedbank Cup that Chiefs won last year.

“It took about three years since I came into my role for us to reshape the squad, change the average age, and we saw ourselves winning a trophy last year,” he said.

Motaung Jr said the club is not looking for quick fixes and wants to work with supporters to find solutions.

“We’re not here to put a band-aid over anything,” he said. “We want to listen to the fans, hear their concerns, and work together to find solutions.”

Pictured above: Kaizer Motaung Jr.

Image source: Kaizer Chiefs