Kaizer Chiefs' interim coach Cavin Johnson has been offered advice on how he should deal with the racism allegations at the club.
Last week, it was reported in the media that there have been alleged racial tensions at Chiefs between black and coloured players.
Further reports this week have suggested that the Soweto giants have allegedly started an investigation against the players in trying to find out who were the persons who leaked the information to the media.
Well-travelled coach Jacob Sakala has advised Johnson to play a father-figure role to ensure that he remains in full control of the players and dressing room.
The Good
"I have my doubts about this Kaizer Chiefs and racism story, and I doubt something like that ever happened. Chiefs are a big club, and they are serious about their brand and wouldn't allow something like that to happen. Furthermore, it is not the first time that Chiefs have had players who are not black in their team and why would this only happen now? The club used to have players like Shane McGregor, Neil Tovey and Marc Batchelor if I can mention a few. Those players were united, and they were delivering the results. But if it's true that it happens, I would advise the coach to play a father figure role to the players and make them understand that they are all important to him and the club. That's what I would do, and I am sure that Cavin (Johnson) is doing it also anyway," said Sakala.
The Bad
"I found myself with a similar problem when I coached Dynamos. Also, I had a similar problem when I coached Black Leopards but at those two clubs it wasn't racism but tribalism. At Leopards, players from Venda didn't like their teammates who came from Johannesburg. I talked to the players and made them understand that at the end of the day we all needed one another for the team to function. I encouraged the spirit of togetherness for the benefit of the team. I told them that it was us who were going to suffer if the club was affected by what they were doing," the coach added.
The Ugly
"On the field of play, Chiefs have been inconsistent and are trying to improve and these are the kind of stories that they don't need right now. Such stories have the potential to destabilise the team and that is worrying," concluded Sakala.
