Mosimane, McCarthy or Barker – who is crazy enough to take the Kaizer Chiefs job?
The names of Pitso Mosimane, Rulani Mokwena, Benni McCarthy and Steve Barker have been mentioned as potential new Kaizer Chiefs coaches as Cedric Kaze and Youssef Ben Khalil come under increasing pressure at the club.
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The names of Pitso Mosimane and Benni McCarthy have been thrown around in conversations about who could become the next head coach of Kaizer Chiefs.
The co-coaching duo of Cedric Kaze and Khalil Ben Youssef have increasingly come under pressure since the club were swatted away by fierce rivals Orlando Pirates in last weekend’s Soweto derby. They then followed that up with a 1–0 loss to Richards Bay during the week.
The two were promoted to their current positions following the sacking of Nasreddine Nabi earlier in the season, and the league table a week ago would have suggested they hadn’t done too badly.
But a week is a long time in football. Amakhosi’s season has since cratered, and they currently find themselves sixth in the league, down from third, and 14 points behind Pirates and champions Mamelodi Sundowns.
The past week has seen the pressure on Kaze and Ben Youssef intensify, and the club’s unforgiving supporters have already decided that the two cannot continue next season.
So, who is crazy enough to accept the job, where sentiment can change at the drop of a hat?
Mosimane’s CV speaks for itself. Jingles is the most decorated coach in the history of South African football, and any club would be crazy to overlook him, especially when he is currently without a coaching job.
Luring Mosimane to Naturena will be tricky, though. The 61-year-old recently opened up about his desire to return to international football. With Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos set to retire after the World Cup, it seems logical that Mosimane could be the next man in line.
Then there’s South African football icon McCarthy, currently the head coach of the Kenya national team and reportedly open to moving to Chiefs. If Mosimane’s name is off the table, you would expect the former Manchester United coach to be one of the favourites.
In his first managerial job in 2018, he guided Cape Town City to their first-ever cup title, beating SuperSport United on penalties in the MTN8 final. Three years later, AmaZulu qualified for the CAF Champions League for the very first time under his leadership. After leaving Usuthu, he shocked many by becoming a member of Erik ten Hag’s backroom staff at Manchester United, where he worked closely with players like Cristiano Ronaldo, Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford, all of whom were impressed with him on the training pitch.
Former Kaizer Chiefs left-back Tshepo Masilela has also mentioned the name of Rulani Mokwena. However, that seems unlikely. Mokwena is almost like Pirates royalty. His father Julius “KK” Sono is a legend at the club, and his uncle Jomo Sono is regarded as their greatest-ever player. Mokwena is unlikely to coach Kaizer Chiefs.
Another coach who could find himself in the conversation is Simba SC’s Steve Barker, who joined the club from Stellenbosch FC at the beginning of the year and has quietly gone about restoring the Tanzanian giants’ image over the last three months.
In 10 games in charge in all competitions, Simba have been beaten just once since Barker joined, and they remain involved in a title challenge. If he continues to do well in Tanzania, that job could be seen as a potential audition for the Chiefs gig.
In truth, the bigger question may not be who can coach Kaizer Chiefs, but who is willing to take on one of the most demanding jobs in South African football. The club remains a giant of the local game, but with expectations sky-high and patience in short supply, whoever eventually walks through the doors at Naturena will need more than a strong CV – they will need the resilience to rebuild a sleeping giant while surviving the relentless pressure that comes with the badge.
IOL Sport