Kaizer Chiefs head coach Fernando Da Cruz has acknowledged the club’s ambitions but declined to promise immediate success after football manager Bobby Motaung said the team must challenge for the Betway Premiership title and deliver silverware.
Motaung recently outlined what is expected of the new Kaizer Chiefs coach, making it clear that winning trophies remains the central objective for the club.
“The new coach obviously knows he has to win the league,” Motaung told FARPost.
“He has to win cups; he has to bring the glory days back. He must enjoy his work with the support that we are giving him, with the players and everybody.”
Motaung also said Kaizer Chiefs would continue to assess the transfer market and would be willing to strengthen the squad if suitable opportunities arise.
“In football, you never stop thinking of any new signings. In football, you are always looking for the best,” Motaung added.
“If you get the best in the market, you get it, and if you can afford it and there is space for them and the coach needs them, we will always support.”
However, Da Cruz has stopped short of making broad predictions about what Kaizer Chiefs will accomplish during the season. The 54-year-old French coach believes the club’s objectives will be best served by concentrating on the daily work and the next fixture, rather than focusing too early on the trophies that may be available at the end of the campaign.
“I’m not a magician like a reporter. I cannot say what we will achieve, but the most important thing for us is to keep the mentality of working and listening,” Da Cruz said.
His comments underline a measured approach to the pressure surrounding his appointment. While the expectations from the club’s management are clear, Da Cruz says ambition must be matched by discipline and consistency on the pitch.
“Like I already said, we will make a conclusion,” Da Cruz explained regarding the long-term outlook of the season.
“If we are in a good position, we’ll try to achieve as best as we can. We are very ambitious, but our first ambition is always to win the next game.”
Da Cruz’s position does not suggest that Kaizer Chiefs are lowering their targets. Instead, he is presenting success as a process, with progress judged through the team’s performances and results from one match to the next.
Motaung’s comments indicate that the club will continue to back the coach, both through the existing squad and potentially in the transfer market if the right player becomes available, can be afforded and is required by Da Cruz.
For now, the immediate task is clear. Kaizer Chiefs want to bring back their “glory days” by winning the Betway Premiership and competing for cups, but Da Cruz insists the route towards those ambitions begins with preparing properly and trying to win the next game.
