Molefi Ntseki accepting the job as Kaizer Chiefs head coach was an opportunity that came under interesting circumstances. The club had failed to secure the services of number one target Nasreddine Nabi, a man the Amakhosi faithful were itching for following his exploits with Tanzanian giants Young Africans. Time was running out, with the 2023/24 season looming on the horizon, and the club's Chairman turned to the former Bafana Bafana coach, who was already part of the set-up as Head of Technical and Development. Whether the hierarchy thought he was the real solution, or they had no other option at that stage really, is perhaps a debate for another day. As expected, the modest mentor did not have it easy on the bench of the most-supported club in South Africa, where he lasted only four months. Now that the dust has well and truly settled, how does he look back on it all? What could have been done better? Soccer Laduma's Tshepang Mailwane elicits answers from the horse's mouth in this frank interview.
Tshepang Mailwane: Coach, how has life been over the last few months since leaving Kaizer Chiefs?
Molefi Ntseki: I've managed to spend time with my family in the Free State. I've been in and out of Johannesburg and the Free State. It's just been a mental and physical break from the time I spent with Kaizer Chiefs, and also coming home to spend some time with the kids. I did watch a bit of football, going to tournaments in and around Bloemfontein.
TM: When you reflected on your time with the club, what conclusion did you come to?
MN: I joined Chiefs as Head of Technical and Development, which was not new to me because I had done that with Bloemfontein Celtic and Harmony Academy. Combined with that was the senior team at Chiefs and I had already been with Bafana Bafana, so it was not much of a big challenge, as much as the demands were different. We are talking about a Chiefs side that was not winning for years. I think we worked hard with the coaches in the development to identify and recruit quality players and I think the first and second year we were winning all the development trophies. That was my job spec when I started in 2021, having to be a link between the development and the first team. When coach Arthur (Zwane) was appointed as head coach, it was a good gesture because we are celebrating what the outside world is doing. We don't get to celebrate our best heroes in the country. With Arthur having been at Chiefs for so many years and having paid his school fees in the development and having been the assistant coach in the first team, I think it was befitting for the club to look into that profile and to give him the support and to appoint him as head coach. The expectation was to win something for the club, to win the league and the cups, but it could not happen. Because whenever somebody comes into a new position, you have to do what you call baseline, to construct a strong foundation and a clear understanding of the tactical elements of the game. We ended position five and the results were up and down. When coach Arthur ended the season, the club felt that they wanted to bring in another coach.
TM: Why did you decide to take the head coaching job at the club?
MN: The club felt like they wanted to bring in another coach. Looking for a coach, we could not get somebody with the qualities that the club was looking for. The club opted to say, 'You have been working with these guys as Head of Technical, please take over as head coach.' That's how I ended up becoming the head coach at Kaizer Chiefs, of which I appreciated the trust and belief that we built with the Chairman (Kaizer Motaung), the technical committee, the sporting director, the board and the football manager. It was not an easy decision to make, except that they had been working with me for the previous two years, so they knew my qualities and capabilities and they knew I would be of help to the club.
TM: Sure…
MN: We interviewed a few coaches. In interviewing those coaches, the club did not get what it was looking for. As a result, the club felt that they had somebody inside who understood what they wanted and had the qualification to take over as coach. We were indeed looking for a coach, but we could not get what we wanted. They had me as somebody who could come in with a clear understanding of the team. The reality of it is that we had a very intense meeting for that decision to be made. When the decision was made, I could not refuse because in refusing, I would be saying, 'I am not that person.' I have been a coach at the highest level, so why should I let down the Chairman and the board and the technical committee by turning down the opportunity they gave me?
TM: Indeed. So, what was the plan going forward from that point, especially since there were a lot of new players brought in?
MN: We all know that Chiefs have not been winning for some time. We had a few strategy workshops leading to the end of last season, leading into the new season. The strategy was to get the team into a high level of competition, where the team would bring in top players and start winning games and give back to the supporters in terms of performances and getting results. That was the strategy. In our strategic workshop, we were looking at all the things that could work out for the club to get the club to where it was before. At the same time, we had to be realistic with the challenges we were faced with. But those workshops were good for all the departments within the club. I was part of that from a technical point of view, so I knew very well what needed to happen. What needed to happen was to rebuild the club and get it back to the glory days. Glory days was not going to be an overnight thing. That's why those workshops were held over a period of two to three weeks so that we would be realistic and put our feet on the ground.
TM: When you accepted the role, were you fully aware of the pressure that comes with the job because it's probably the hottest coaching seat in the country?
MN: I think there is no way you can grow as a person if you are always worried about the pressure that comes with the job, or if you are worried about failing or not delivering in whatever job you are doing. I managed to work hard to be resilient and resolute in what I wanted to achieve as an individual. When I took the Bafana Bafana job, I was asked the same question, to say, 'Were you aware of the pressure that comes with it?' Yes, I am fully aware, and I was fully aware. When it comes to Chiefs in particular, what made the decision easier for me was the workshops we had from a management point of view and the projections that were made from those workshops and the strategy that we put on paper in terms of how we wanted to get the team back to a stable environment in terms of performances and winning games. In me taking over as head coach, I was fully aware that we had not been winning for so many years. Secondly, Kaizer Chiefs is one of the most-supported teams in the country and the supporters have the bragging rights in terms of the success story of the club.
TM: That pressure was evident in how supporters threw missiles in your direction after some results did not go the team's way. Must have been a tough experience, coach…
MN: If it was happening to me for the first time at Kaizer Chiefs, I would have definitely looked at it and personalised it, but because of the frustrations the supporters have been going through the past years… I grew up knowing that Kaizer Chiefs supporters have these bragging rights in terms of the team achieving and winning everything. When you are used to something sweet and then you are exposed to something a bit bitter, it doesn't sit well with you, but when somebody comes from a bitter taste into a sweet taste, you celebrate and become the happiest person on earth. So, Kaizer Chiefs comes from a sweet taste of success, but all of a sudden, it's a dry spell and everybody gets frustrated in terms of us not winning. This has been happening for some time. If I am correct, this is the ninth year where Chiefs have not won a bigger trophy or the league. In that happening to me, and being a South African, knowing the political background of this country… when people are not happy, they have a way of showing their unhappiness. In showing their unhappiness, in politics people will be very brutal and inhumane in trying to drive their point. I looked at it to say that's exactly what you get from South Africans when they are frustrated or disappointed. They will always react differently and that becomes the loudest. At times, they are fighting the wrong person because the system itself does not work out for them to achieve what they wanted to achieve. They might not have a problem on a personal level with me, but they might be having a problem that the team is not winning… and who is in charge of the team? That person happens to be me. I had to be brave. I had to psyche myself and psyche the players. I had to make myself understand that it's a discomfort and this is the only time I will grow as a person.
TM: How disappointed were you that the spell as head coach ended abruptly?
MN: When I took the job, I was fully aware that it could end the next day. That's what happens in football. You get hired today and get fired the next day. I am very lucky because I managed to be at Kaizer Chiefs for four months. Some people are at a job for six weeks or two months at big teams. I think in terms of the plan, the projection, the strategy, the management style, the technical plan, the periodisation programme that we were running, a lot of things were left open-ended because we came up with a half-season plan going into the second part of the season. We also planned around trophies we were to play for, and also the league and what the possibilities of us winning something were. I would say things were going well. Even when we reflect, when we did a post-match analysis of individuals and the team and the sessions we had leading up to the game, everything was going well. It was just a question of us bringing about balance between a good performance and also getting good results. The unfortunate part of it is that we were having a good performance on the pitch, but we would make one mistake or create a few chances and not convert and then we lose that match. The supporters were hyped up in terms of how good we were performing on the day and that's how they would become so disappointed when the game comes to an end and we don't get to win anything. Yes, it's a disappointment because you did not achieve the projected objectives, but at the end of the day these are things you need to live with and move on.
TM: Any regrets?
MN: If you were to say is there anything I could have done differently, then yes, I would have done some things differently, especially when it comes to the tactical induction of the new players and the mental preparation and readiness of the new players. Them understanding the pressure that comes with playing for a team like Kaizer Chiefs. I was a bit fortunate because I was the Head of Technical and Development for the previous two years, so I got to understand the pressure that comes with being at Kaizer Chiefs as a player, as a coach and as a supporter. In taking over, I was fully aware of the situation and challenges. So, if I were to do anything differently, it would be a different approach of the tactical induction of the new players, as well as the mental preparation and readiness of the players who join Kaizer Chiefs, for them to understand the pressure and demands that come with it. Those are the things I would do differently.
TM: Do you think players these days know the responsibility that comes with playing for a big club?
MN: Maybe another thing we could have done differently is to prepare those players long before they joined Kaizer Chiefs. They must profile the team, understand the demands, they must understand the requirements long before they join Kaizer Chiefs. Meaning when you join Kaizer Chiefs, you have already prepared and psyched yourself up over time in terms of what will be expected of you when you get to the club. The unfortunate part is that you only get to know the challenges and pressure that comes with it when you are already inside. When you are trying to adjust, you have played a draw in the first game against Chippa (United). You play the second game and lose against (Mamelodi) Sundowns. You try to build from the back and make a mistake and concede. You go play against TS Galaxy; you are new in a team and make a mistake at the back and you concede. At the end of that fourth game of the season, the supporters are throwing things at your coach. So, what are you thinking of yourself? You get to be more worried because you think if they can do that to the coach, then what if they do that to me if I don't have a good game? So, you see how the pressure builds up?
TM: Absolutely!
MN: That's why I am saying that it's unfortunate that they get to know the challenges and pressure when they are already inside the club. There is an induction that is done, but at the same time the season starts, you have to play to win, you have to adjust from where you come from. Maybe you were a top player at your previous club, but at Kaizer Chiefs you become part of the top players. It's that tactical understanding and mental readiness to say, 'I am now at Kaizer Chiefs. I am no longer the top player I was at my club. I need to prove myself to be a top teammate at Kaizer Chiefs.'
TM: Take us through your final meeting with the Chairman before it was announced that you were leaving. What was said?
MN: It was a very good and professional meeting when we sat with the technical committee and the Chairman. We went through all the challenges and we became realistic in terms of what was happening. It was for the best for Molefi Ntseki as the coach and the club to shake hands and say, 'Good luck'. He is not just a Chairman, he is Dr Kaizer Motaung. I think he has worked with more than 53 coaches before. In him appointing me as a coach at Kaizer Chiefs, that was a very big thing to ever happen to somebody like me. In all the meetings we had during the pre-season and when the season started, my approach was that you can't train and prepare a team that your Chairman does not know about. You can't go into a game where the Chairman does not know what approach you are going to have or what tactical plan you have and which players you are going to use and why certain players are on the bench. Every time we were going to play a game, I used to have a pre-match meeting with the Chairman and technical committee and explain my approach and my analysis of the opponents and why I had selected the players I selected. I would always have an ear for the Chairman, to hear what he thinks. In a professional way, we discussed the team because the team belongs to the Chairman. It is important to give the Chairman of the club the respect he deserves because you are just a supervisor in a supermarket. The owner of the supermarket needs to know what you have in the store. That was my approach with the Chairman. I really appreciate the manner in which the whole thing was handled.
TM: Wow, this says a lot about your humility and professionalism, coach. Many other coaches would have seen it as interference, whereas it was a case of you being transparent and the Chairman opening up the communication lines between himself and the coach. So, was there no option to go back to your previous role at Naturena?
MN: That one was never discussed in that meeting. I also respected the decision that was made. Already at the time, they had someone appointed as Head of Development. Remember, mine was Head of Technical and Development. So, now that I had been the coach, it was a discussion about being the head coach and agreeing to the fact that things are not working out as head coach. I accepted the decision without questioning or suggesting any other thing, except to say thank you to the club for having offered me an opportunity to work at Kaizer Chiefs.
TM: Why are Chiefs struggling to win titles?
MN: Let's make this example. For the past years, how many coaches were brought in and how many were brought in and released? If you look at all the teams in the world, there is always a spine. The technical environment is very stable, and when the technical environment is stable, you will always get a stable and consistent performance from the players and from the technical committee. As a result, the supporters will rally behind the team because everything is stable and consistent and there is progress and there is success. That's what makes a team do well and succeed. A big team like Chiefs can sustain that success because of those few elements I spoke about. When you look at the club itself, that has not been happening… and that puts a lot of pressure on the playing personnel that you bring into the club, and it puts a lot of pressure on the technical team that is brought into the club. It also puts a lot of frustration on the supporters and that ends up putting a lot of pressure on the coaches, the players and management.
TM: Do you not worry about your reputation as a coach after the way you left the club and Bafana Bafana before that?
MN: Not really. The best coaches have gone through that. Recently, one who was declared the best coach (Jose Mourinho) just got fired, and he has been fired many times and that does not define the coach he is. With me, I know what happened with Bafana Bafana, it was not of my own making. I know what happened with Kaizer Chiefs, it was not of my own making. So, I am very positive of my qualities and capabilities. Yes, in this country you will always have a situation where people will question, 'Who is this?' because they don't want to know who that person is. Even now, with any project that may come my way, I will take it with positivity, and I know I will do well.
TM: What's next then?
MN: I have been in football for more than 26 years and I am still in football. I have a life out of football, and I will still be in football. What lies ahead of me is football.
TM: Thank you for taking time out to speak to the Soccer Laduma readers, coach. We are sure many of them now understand better the challenges you encountered at the Glamour Boys. All the best!
MN: It's a pleasure.
