Except for the unreasonable and near-fatal stunts by one fan who ended in hospital, our Sunday game against Ajax in Cape Town is one definite indication that all hope is not lost at Kaizer Chiefs. This may further be consolidated by our performance against Supersport if any comparison or logical conclusion has to be drawn.

I must immediately congratulate Ajax for holding firm by averting another possible defeat at the hands of our fired up lads. I believe we were once more hard done by the evasive luck as we ended up sharing the spoils after failing to convert the numerous scoring opportunities we created for ourselves.

Apart from wishing for luck, our Coach had to make quick adjustment by juggling some players following our recent spate of suspensions and injuries. In defence, both Jimmy Tau and Fabian McCarthy missed out and thus forced the Coach to consider others to carry the baton.

One cannot also forget the Scara Ngobese’s misdemeanour that forced the Coach to make further changes on the eve of the game.

I have already expressed my discontent against such behaviour and may assure you that it won’t be tolerated. Be that as it may, I am confident that it is just a matter of time before we find consistency and produce the kind of football that is reputable to our flair and fervour.

Our Wednesday victory is a further indication of the good technical work that is bearing results. I am sure we all witnessed the fact that our opponents could have been buried under an avalanche of goals had our lads shown more composure before the goal posts.

Worst still, we had very questionable refereeing decisions working against our favour when considering an obviously legitimate penalty we were denied after Kaizer Junior was felled in the box. I cannot say much about this except to believe that our standard of refereeing will remain on our lips for as long as football lives.

Our Coach also had to make substitutions to try out other combinations in the midfield in order to secure some players who were sitting on two yellow cards.

Although the changes helped increase the tally, the only concern was that we defended too deep thus allowing our opposition to capitalize by scoring two easy goals. In all fairness, the results underline the belief that the team has not been performing that bad after all.

The Derby

This Saturday brings yet another spectacle as we engage Orlando Pirates at the Soccer City. Although both teams have had good mid-week results, their success however does not have any bearing on the derby as proven before. The derby has its own characteristics and may therefore not be used to benchmark any performance of either team against any opposition.

I always believe that the biggest weapon any player needs for the derby is the mental and psychological sharpness to face head-on, all expectations during the game.

Despite any dependence on talent, skill and tactics, our players need to be in the right frame of mind to handle the pressure and perform to the passion of the throngs of present loyal supporters and those that watch the game at home.

Now this is essentially the gist of the derby because no amount of motivation or encouragement can be usurped from either coach or spectator except the derby itself.

The history of rivalry between the two teams has always turned past veterans and present icons into villains and heroes despite any outcome from both sides. This derby is certainly no exception.

As for winning the derby, I cannot think of any Christmas present to our loyal supporters than winning given our standing in the log, the difference in points and the recent record of wins by our opponents.

We are however mindful that winning will not just be offered on the plate since this promises to be a bitterly contested clash of the titans.

For us at Kaizer Chiefs it is such struggles that make us the giant we are as our record proves. I just hope that our boys live up to our expectations by once more invading the FNB battlefield with a sole purpose to win.

I am sure they are looking to put forward their best psychological and mental edge to keep the raging fires of the passionate Amakhosi supporter happy and in celebration of the festive period.

Coca-Cola Cup

In the previous article I warned that any team that defeats Amakhosi in any stage of a cup competition has the potential to annex the title as well.

The results of this competition have proven true my prediction that Cosmos will lift the coveted cup. I had initially expected a tight, very defensive and a play characterised by counter attack that would force the match to be decided on penalties.

I still stand vindicated after the match ended exactly that way.

In any case, let me congratulate Cosmos for their victory. I am conscious that they have won the cup twice and are thus threatening our record as three times champions.

This obviously challenges us to be better prepared in the next season by coming out firing in all cylinders to add our record of winning the prestigious cup to four.

In conclusion, I wish you a wonderful derby experience and do arrive alive and safe in case you are travelling from far.

Kaizer Motaung


Managing Director, Kaizer Chiefs