It hasn't been a good season for Kaizer Chiefs in the Betway Premiership, and they now have to find a way to be competitive in the league next season while also campaigning in the CAF Confederation Cup.
Amakhosi booked a spot in next season's Confederation Cup by winning the Nedbank Cup and will be making a return to continental club football for the first time since losing out to Egyptian giants Al Ahly in the CAF Champions League final in 2021.
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The challenge now for Amakhosi is to ensure they are competitive in the league while navigating their way on the continent. It will certainly add a lot of pressure to the side, but marketing director Jessica Motaung believes they are up for the challenge, especially looking into how CAF is making sure that clubs are properly resourced to be competitive on the continent.
"For us to juggle both playing on the continent as well as wanting league honours locally is something we've had in mind and we will plan for," Motaung told media during a CAF event on Thursday, where the new Champions League trophy was unveiled.
"We will obviously have to resource ourselves appropriately, but I think what's also exciting is the work that CAF has done to make sure that financially the teams in the prelims have the resources like the $50 000 that the clubs are getting. The fact that they have increased the prize money is also helping teams, if they win, to use those resources and re-invest. But certainly from a Chiefs point of view, we will make sure that the right resources are put in place for the team to be able to compete on all levels."
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"We are going to lean on all the lessons we've had from the past in playing in the CAF space. There's certainly going to be a lot of planning, a lot of research in terms of the countries we are going to. I think the key thing is resourcing our club, making sure that we have the right players to have the stamina for the journey we are going to face. There's a lot of discussions on how to beef things up internally."
Amakhosi go into the final weekend of the season hoping to make it into the top eight, as they face Polokwane City on home soil at FNB Stadium tomorrow. They may have a trophy in the cabinet, but their Premiership campaign has been below par. Motaung, though, does not see the season as a failure for the club.
"How would I describe the season? I don't think it's a season of failure. It's been a season that's had many journeys; some of them up and some of them downs. But certainly the Nedbank Cup was a great highlight. We have to go back and look at what we have not done right at the league level to understand where we can improve and to look at the resources needed."
