During the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament in the Ivory Coast earlier this year, former Kaizer Chiefs interim coach Cavin Johnson was expected to capitalise on the break to conduct a mini pre-season training camp.
It was thought that this would have given Johnson the time to work his magic with the squad, a significant amount of time to then transform the team to move up the table in the second half of the campaign. However, Chiefs suffered a disastrous 2024, falling out of the Top 8 in the PSL and producing a string of results typical of teams at the bottom of the table.
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So, what happened during the AFCON break? The period was marked by a strategic emphasis on integrating young players into the team, according to Siya sources close to the club. The camp, which spanned from December to January, saw Johnson introducing several young talents into the first team, including notable players like Mfundo Vilakazi, affectionately known as Obrigado, and Donay Jansen.
"During the AFCON break it was like a pre-season for the team and the coach wanted more young players to be introduced to the team. That's why you saw Obrigado (Mfundo Vilakazi) and also Donay Jansen coming in. He also wanted to see those young players who were already in the team play more regularly and compete with the senior players. There were friendly games played around that time and those youngsters were used frequently and that's what he advocated for during that time time," the insider told Soccer Laduma.
Despite the focus on youth, the team faced challenges with player availability. Edmilson Dove was absent due to his commitments with the Mozambique national team, and key players such as Keagan Dolly, George Matlou, and Thatayaone Dithlokwe were sidelined with various injuries. A second insider discussed Johnson's perspective on the January transfer window, noting his confidence in the existing squad's capabilities instead of signing new players.
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"He believed that the team had enough quality who were just needed to be used correctly and the team will gel. He also told management that the strikers the team had were good enough to score and help the team win the games. He really believed that the players who were at the team at that moment could work hard enough and help the team. He didn't have problems with the defence and other departments as well and that's why there were no new signings in January. He was happy with what he saw during that mini pre-season time in December and January," the second insider revealed.
Despite these efforts, Amakhosi finished in 10th position on the DStv Premiership, missing out on the MTN 8 competition. This outcome ultimately led to Johnson's departure from the club altogether as Chiefs officially announced earlier in the week, and Arthur Zwane will replace him as Head of the Academy. The head coaching position for the first team is expected to be taken by Nasreddine Nabi.
