Kaizer Chiefs’ amazing start to the season has cared that a ranking list of African soccer clubs have the Amakhosi in sixth position, ahead of, for example, Egypt’s giants Al Ahly.

The No 1 ranked team in Africa, according to the ‘football database’, is Congolese side TP Mazembe, Sudanese outfit Al-Merreikh are in second position, while Congolese club AS Vita Club are third. The Congolese recently reached the final of the African Champions League. Vita Club eliminated the Amakhosi this year in the second round of the Champions League.

The ranking is based on form over a certain period, like Fifa’s ranking list. Chiefs not only have a great start to the season (25 points from nine matches, topping the Absa Premiership log), but also already won a trophy, the MTN8.

In the Top 50 are four other South African clubs: Mamelodi Sundowns (12th position), Orlando Pirates (20th), Bidvest Wits (38th) and SuperSport United (49th).

“It’s encouraging to see ‘football database’ tracking and documenting the performances of clubs on the African continent,” Chiefs Chairman Kaizer Motaung reacts to the fifth position on the ranking. “So going forward one can compare our standard with other countries as well. The ranking also shows the great start our Club had to the start of the PSL season.”

“Looking back, the start to this season reminds me of 1984, when Kaizer Chiefs also had a fantastic season, winning four titles, including the league. However, that was back in the days of the NPSL. In that season Joe Frickleton was our coach, a Scotsman. An interesting coincidence is that our present coach, Stuart Baxter, is also a Scotsman.”

However, the Amakhosi Chairman cautions: “It’s still early days. A season is not a sprint, it’s a marathon.”