Kaizer Chiefs F.C.
Kaizer Chiefs Football Club (often known as Chiefs) is a South African professional football club based in Naturena that plays in the Premier Soccer League. The team is nicknamed Amakhosi which means "Lords" or "Chiefs" in Zulu, and the Phefeni Glamour Boys. Chiefs have won 12 league titles (four in the PSL era) and over 50 club trophies. They hold the most trophies amongst the other clubs in the PSL and are the most supported club in the country, drawing an average home attendance of 14,873 in the 2018/2019 season, the second-highest in the league. The team plays its home matches at FNB Stadium.[1]
Full name | Kaizer Chiefs Football Club | ||
---|---|---|---|
Nickname(s) | AmaKhosi; The Phefeni Glamour Boys; Abafana Bok'thula Noxolo. | ||
Short name | Chiefs | ||
Founded | 7 January 1970 | ||
Ground | FNB Stadium | ||
Capacity | 94,797 | ||
Chairman | Kaizer Motaung | ||
Manager | Gavin Hunt | ||
League | DStv Premiership | ||
2019–20 | 2nd | ||
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The team has a strong local rivalry with Orlando Pirates, a fellow Soweto team which Chiefs founder Kaizer Motaung played for in his early playing career. Famous players who donned the black and gold jersey in the past include former national team captains Neil Tovey, Lucas Radebe and also Patrick Ntsoelengoe, Gary Bailey, John "Shoes" Moshoeu, Shaun Bartlett, Steve Komphela, Siyabonga Nomvete, and Doctor Khumalo.
Chiefs were banned by the African Football (CAF) from competing in African club competitions until 2009 after their abrupt withdrawal from the 2005 CAF Confederation Cup. This was the second time in four years that Chiefs had been penalized by CAF for refusal to participate in a competition.
It is the most supported team in sub-Saharan Africa with a support base of over 16,000,000 fans. In January 2020, the Chiefs celebrated their 50th anniversary.[2]
Kaiser Chiefs, a British indie/britpop band, was named after the club because Lucas Radebe, a former player of Kaizer Chiefs, captained Leeds United, the team the band members all supported.[3]
History
Kaizer Chiefs were founded in January 1970 shortly after the return of Kaizer "Chincha Guluva" Motaung from the United States where he played as a striker for the Atlanta Chiefs of the North American Soccer League (NASL). He combined his own first name with the Atlanta Chiefs to create the name of Kaizer Chiefs. Several other people have played key roles in the formation and growth of Kaizer Chiefs, including the late Gilbert Sekgabi, Clarence Mlokoti, China Ngema, Ewert "The Lip" Nene and Rabelani Jan Mofokeng, he trailed and quit because of work.[4]
Kaizer Chiefs are known as Amakhosi by its fans. Their headquarters is Kaizer Chiefs Village, in Naturena, six kilometres south of Johannesburg.[4]
The 2001–02 season was one of the Club's most successful in their history as well as their most tragic. They won four major trophies in four months; the Vodacom Challenge, the BP Top Eight, the Coca-Cola Cup, and the African Cup Winners' Cup.[5] At the time the team was said to have been a team that was on "Operation vat alles" by its then public relations officer Putco Mafani, "vat alles" being an Afrikaans statement meaning "take everything" in English. However, the highs of cup wins was contrasted by the lows of the Ellis Park Stadium disaster on 11 April 2001, in which 43 fans were crushed to death during the Soweto Derby between Chiefs and their arch-rivals Orlando Pirates.[6]
By virtue of winning the African Cup Winners' Cup, Chiefs went on to play the 2001 CAF Champions League winners Al Ahly of Egypt in the 2001 CAF Super Cup. In April 2002, Kaizer Chiefs' achievements during 2001 were recognized as they were chosen as the "CAF Club of the Year" by the Confederation of African Football.[4]
In the 2003–04 season Chiefs were given the Fair Play Award at the Peace Cup in South Korea. Chiefs ended the season as league champions, winning the PSL for the first time in their history.[7]
During the championship race of the 2004–05 soccer season, Chiefs overtook the season-long leaders (Orlando Pirates) in the last game of the season to defend its PSL championship. Under the leadership of Romanian coach Ted Dumitru, Zambian striker Collins Mbesuma had a record-breaking season scoring 39 goals in all competitions.[8]
Kaizer Chiefs' forays into Africa were temporarily scuttled by a Confederation of African Football (CAF) ban.[9] However, it still made its presence felt through the annual Vodacom Challenge that pit Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates with an invited European club. Chiefs have won the Vodacom Challenge Cup 5 times since its inception. They beat a young Manchester United side 4–3 on penalties in the 2006 Challenge to win the trophy.[10]
In March 2007, coach Ernst Middendorp and the club parted company. The club instantly appointed their rival team Orlando Pirates' former coach Kosta Papić for the remainder of the 2006–07 season.
Muhsin Ertuğral returned for the 2007–08 season to begin his second stint with Chiefs having already coached The Glamour Boys from 1999 until 2003.[11]
Stadium
Amakhosi Stadium
During the past years, the Amakhosi have used no less than nine stadiums in Johannesburg as their home-ground, and often rotated between several stadiums during the season. In August 2006, the club made a strategic decision to sign a "mutual interest agreement" with a stadium developer and the local municipality regarding the construction of a new permanent home venue for Kaizer Chiefs, at a total planned cost of R1.2 billion (£105m), which was to be partly owned by the club. This future home venue was named Amakhosi Stadium, and will be situated in Krugersdorp, roughly 40 km west of Johannesburg. Initially it was planned to open in December 2008, but according to the latest revised construction plan, it is now expected only to be finalised by August 2012. The planned stadium was redesigned into a cheaper project, with a new price tag at R700 million, and the capacity being reduced from 55,000 to 35,000 seats.[12] As part of the new revised construction plan for the stadium, it was announced by Kaizer Chiefs, that they no longer plan to be one of the owners of the stadium, but remain ready to support the stadium as a long time committed tenant.
The new stadium was initially planned to be part of a greater sports precinct, into which the club would also move its entire "Kaizer Chiefs Youth Development Programme". The Gauteng Provincial Government have agreed to develop the needed infrastructures around the stadium, in order to guarantee sufficient road and railway access for the huge crowd of spectators.
The stadium developers initially had set time lines for the Amakhosi stadium, to open its doors for the public in December 2008. As of July 2010, construction however had not yet started. Kaizer Chiefs announced in August 2010, that construction of Amakhosi Stadium was now expected only to start in autumn 2010, and finalised by August 2012. It had been postponed several years, due to Kaizer Chiefs and its joint partners, facing difficulties to finance the construction. For the football seasons in 2010–12, the team instead planned to use Rand Stadium as their home venue.[13]
Kaizer Chiefs however only played four of their 15 home games at Rand Stadium in 2010–11, due to some experienced capacity problems, with the transportation related infrastructures around the stadium -and a low spectator attendance. Instead the team during this season, played most of their home games, at the big FNB Stadium -Soccer City.[14]
FNB Stadium/Soccer City
- The completed Soccer City.
FNB Stadium is a stadium located in Johannesburg, with a capacity of 94,736 seats. It is located next to the South African Football Association headquarters (SAFA House), where both the FIFA offices and the Local Organising Committee for the 2010 FIFA World Cup is housed.[15]
The Soweto Derby
The Soweto Derby between Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates is one of the most fiercely contested matches in world football, and in contrast to most of the other games played in the South African Premier Soccer League, matches between the two rivals always attract a large fanbase.
Honours
Leagues - 12
Premier Soccer League (From 1996-97 to date)
- Champions (4): 2003–04, 2004–05, 2012–13, 2014–15
- Runners-up (5): 1996–97, 1997–98, 1998–99, 2000–01, 2013–14, 2019–20
National Soccer League (1985 to 1996)
- Champions (3) - record: 1989, 1991, 1992, 1996* (1996- Transitional season from the old calendar to the new calendar and formation of the Premier Soccer League)
National Professional Soccer League (1971 to 1984)
- Champions (5) - record: 1974, 1977, 1979, 1981, 1984
Cups
MTN 8 (Top 8 Tournament)
- Champions (15) - record: 1974, 1976, 1977, 1981, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1994, 2001, 2006, 2008, 2014
Telkom Knockout (League Cup)
- Champions (13) - record: 1983,1984, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2009, 2010
Nedbank Cup (FA Cup)
- Champions (13) - record: 1971, 1972, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1984, 1987, 1992, 2000, 2006, 2012–13
Friendly
- Winners (11) - record: 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1994, 1996, 1998, 2002, 2003, 2010
Sales House Champ of Champs
- Winners: 1984
Ohlsson's Challenge Cup
- Winners: 1987, 1989
Castle Challenge Cup
- Winners: 1990, 1991
Stylo Cup
- Winners: 1970
UCT Super Team Competition
- Winners: 1972
Shell Helix Ultra Cup
- Winners: 2019
Club records
- Most appearances – Doctor Khumalo 497
- Most goals – Marks Maponyane 85
- Most capped player – Siphiwe Tshabalala 91
- Most appearances in a season – Neil Tovey 52 (1992)
- Most goals in a season (all competitions) – Collins Mbesuma – 35 2004/05 (Previous record Fani Madida 34 in 1991)
- Record win – 9–1 vs Manning Rangers (Coca-Cola Challenge – 23 March 1996)
- Record loss – 1–8 vs AmaZulu (League – 8/6/86), Orlando Pirates (League – 3/11/90)
Premier League Era
season | pos | Record | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | PTS | win% | ||
1996–97 | 2nd | 34 | 18 | 12 | 4 | 56 | 23 | 33 | 66 | 52.9 % |
1997–98 | 2nd | 34 | 17 | 12 | 5 | 52 | 35 | 17 | 63 | 50 % |
1998–99 | 2nd | 34 | 23 | 6 | 5 | 73 | 34 | 39 | 75 | 67.6 % |
1999–2000 | 3rd | 34 | 16 | 12 | 6 | 40 | 22 | 18 | 60 | 47 % |
2000–01 | 2nd | 34 | 16 | 12 | 6 | 41 | 25 | 16 | 60 | 47 % |
2001–02 | 9th | 34 | 12 | 13 | 9 | 38 | 33 | 5 | 49 | 35.29 % |
2002–03 | 6th | 30 | 14 | 8 | 8 | 42 | 26 | 16 | 50 | 46.7 % |
2003–04 | Winners¹ | 30 | 18 | 9 | 3 | 39 | 11 | 28 | 63 | 60 % |
2004–05 | Winners² | 30 | 17 | 11 | 2 | 55 | 26 | 29 | 62 | 56.6 % |
2005–06 | 3rd | 30 | 12 | 14 | 4 | 39 | 26 | 13 | 50 | 40 % |
2006–07 | 9th | 30 | 11 | 9 | 10 | 42 | 32 | 10 | 42 | 36.7 % |
2007–08 | 6th | 30 | 10 | 13 | 7 | 32 | 20 | 12 | 43 | 33.3 % |
2008–09 | 3rd | 30 | 15 | 5 | 10 | 37 | 32 | 5 | 50 | 50 % |
2009–10 | 3rd | 30 | 14 | 9 | 7 | 39 | 25 | 14 | 51 | 46.7 % |
2010–11 | 3rd | 30 | 17 | 8 | 5 | 45 | 23 | 22 | 59 | 56.7 % |
2011–12 | 5th | 30 | 14 | 8 | 8 | 35 | 23 | 12 | 50 | 46.7 % |
2012–13 | Winners³ | 30 | 15 | 12 | 3 | 48 | 21 | 27 | 57 | 50 % |
2013–14 | 2nd | 30 | 19 | 6 | 5 | 43 | 17 | 26 | 63 | 63.3 % |
2014–15 | Winners⁴ | 30 | 21 | 6 | 3 | 41 | 14 | 27 | 69 | 70 % |
2015–16 | 5th | 30 | 11 | 13 | 6 | 39 | 28 | 11 | 50 | 36.6 % |
2016–17 | 4th | 30 | 13 | 11 | 6 | 39 | 28 | 11 | 50 | 43.3 % |
2017–18 | 3rd | 30 | 12 | 12 | 6 | 27 | 22 | 5 | 48 | 40 % |
2018–19 | 9th | 30 | 9 | 12 | 9 | 33 | 29 | 4 | 39 | 30 % |
2019–20 | 2nd | 30 | 17 | 6 | 7 | 48 | 27 | 21 | 57 | 56.6 % |
Total | 4 titles | 744 | 361 | 239 | 144 | 1022 | 611 | 411 | 1322 | 48.52 % |
Personnel
Club officials
Position | Staff |
---|---|
Executive chairman | Kaizer Motaung |
Football manager | Bobby Motaung |
Marketing manager | Jessica Motaung |
Chief Financial Officer | Ari Lambropoulos |
Corporate Communications Manager | Alpheus 'Vina' Maphosa |
Head of Digital | Kemiso Motaung |
Senior Team Staff
Position | Staff |
---|---|
Head Coach | Gavin Hunt |
Team manager | Gerald Sibeko |
First Assistant Coach | Dillon Sheppard |
Second Assistant Coach | Arthur Zwane |
Goalkeeper Coach | Mark Davy |
Head of Sports Science | Jarred Marsh |
Head Physiotherapist | David Milner |
Senior Team Physiotherapist | Jose Cox |
Masseur | Matthew Laubscher |
Players
- As of 24 October 2020[18]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Notable former players
For all Kaizer Chiefs players with a Wikipedia article see Category:Kaizer Chiefs F.C. players
Coaches
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Sponsors
Rugby
On 29 October 2012, Kaizer Chiefs announced that they had registered a rugby sevens team to participate in the inaugural 7s Premier League.[20]
References
- "worldfootball.net". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
- "Kaizer Chiefs Reacts To 'Identical' Black / Gold Barcelona Kit". Footy Headlines. 14 August 2020. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
- "Interview: Kaiser Chiefs". Music OMH. April 2005. Retrieved 19 July 2012.
- Kaizer Chiefs. "The birth of Kaizer Chiefs through the eyes of Kaizer Motaung". kaizerchiefs.com. Archived from the original on 28 September 2014. Retrieved 19 July 2012.
- "Kaizer Chiefs: Honours". Kaizer Chiefs. Archived from the original on 18 July 2012. Retrieved 19 July 2012.
- "Ellis Park soccer stampede kills 43". sahistory.org.za. Retrieved 19 July 2012.
- "Chiefs win SA league". BBC Sport. 29 May 2004. Retrieved 13 March 2008.
- "Mbesuma tops in South Africa". BBC Sport. 26 May 2005. Retrieved 18 March 2008.
- "Kaizer Chiefs slapped with lengthy ban". mg.co.za. 29 May 2005. Retrieved 19 July 2012.
- "Vodacom Challenge results and line-ups". Vodacomchallenge.com. Archived from the original on 22 July 2012. Retrieved 19 July 2012.
- "Ertuğral returns to Chiefs as coach". Sundayszaman.com. 22 June 2007. Retrieved 19 July 2012.
- M&G Centre for Investigative Journalism (16 April 2010). "Playing the blame game". Archived from the original on 24 February 2011. Retrieved 23 June 2011.
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 3 December 2010. Retrieved 21 August 2010.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- Independent Online (18 November 2010). "Chiefs and the Bucs great stadium heist".
- "Soccer City". FIFA. Retrieved 30 June 2008.
- "Kaizer Chiefs". Kaizer Chiefs. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
- Rothmans cup
- https://uk.soccerway.com/teams/south-africa/kaizer-chiefs/3528/squad/
- Gleeson, Mark (April 2012). "48 coaches in 41 years for Amakhosi". Sowtan. Retrieved 22 September 2012.
- "Kaizer Chiefs get rugby team". Sport24. 29 October 2012. Retrieved 29 October 2012.