AFTER the departure of interim coaches at Kaizer Chiefs, all eyes are on sporting director Kaizer Motaung Jnr. as he looks to appoint a new coach with a list of players reported to be on their out.
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KAIZER Chiefs opened the floodgates to probably the biggest speculative headlines when they announced the release of co-coaches Cedric Kaze and Khalil Ben Youssef on Tuesday.
Soon after the announcement, the headlines shifted to point to the most decorated South African football coach, Pitso Mosimane, linking him with a move to Naturena.
It was perfect timing on the part of Amakhosi, as their main Premier Soccer League rivals — sworn enemies and hometown adversaries Orlando Pirates and Tshwane-based Mamelodi Sundowns —had been dominating the headlines since the weekend.
This came after the two sides lived up to their giants status by wrapping up the season with major silverware; Pirates won the Betway Premiership title on Saturday and, in doing so, completed this season's domestic treble.
Sundowns, on the other hand, took the big one, winning the CAF Champions League after they beat AS FAR in Rabat on Sunday night.
In fact, as Chiefs announced the departure of the two men who led the club to their best league finish in over five years, Sundowns were involved in a Champions League trophy celebration convoy in and around Tshwane.
Sundowns should have been trending the whole day, especially on social media, but within a matter of hours of Chiefs’ announcement, Amakhosi stole the spotlight in South Africa.
Chiefs were then replaced by Benni McCarthy in the top trends list, as he soon took over from Amakhosi and Mosimane.
The Kenya national team coach is one of the top three names being speculated and favoured for one of the most challenging coaching jobs in the country.
The third name on that list, after Mosimane and McCarthy, is current Lamontville Golden Arrows coach Manqoba Mngqithi.
Mosimane is the only one who is unattached or without a club at the moment. All three coaches have experience of coaching in Africa, where Chiefs will be competing in the CAF Confederation Cup next season after finishing in the top three behind Sundowns and Pirates.
All the coaches have in the past faced questions about their desire to coach Chiefs and they did not shoot it down.
Besides the departure of Kaze and Ben Youssef, there is a reported player exodus at Naturena, with the list of foreigners involving Gaston Sirino, Etiosa Ighodaro, and Fiacre goalkeeper Ntwari.
The locals include academy graduates Happy Mashiane and Samkelo Zwane, alongside the likes of Khanyisa Mayo, George Matlou, Tashreeq Morris, and Paseka Mayo.