After criticism for lacking a scouting department, Kaizer Chiefs' new Head of Scouting and Recruitment Thembela Maliwa has given an insight on what he is all about.
Chiefs have in the past been criticized behind the scenes in the football circles, for lacking a structured scouting department, hence they make numerous so-called bad signings over the years, even though certain players arrive at the club with the reputation of being quality players.
The Glamour Boys' approach, has been in the main, seemingly bringing players that are demanded by supporters and in most cases over the years, they showed a pattern of preferring big name players who have become free agents.
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The Soweto giants made efforts to improve their technical setup after appointing Molefi Ntseki in 2021 as the Head of Technical and Youth Development. However, they lost the plot after fast-tracking him to become the head coach.
Amakhosi also initially appointed Cavin Johnson as Head of Youth, to replace Ntseki, but as a former coach himself, Johnson also stepped into the hot seat of the senior team and was not retained in that role.
After announcing Maliwa as Head of Scouting and Recruitment, 'Tera' does not come with the burden or temptations of being in charge of the first team, as he described himself as someone who is interested in discovering rough diamonds, whether in the early years or later.
"I'm a technical scout. People will ask, what is a scout? I started scouting 18 years ago, for me it's about identifying talent, looking for new players, rough diamonds. It's about finding the best talent, getting the player that no one knows and when you're in a certain club you know what you're looking for, according to the squad," Maliwa said on Radio 2000.
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"In scouting, you must find ways of getting players, it's not about going to the stadium and finding a player. It's not about someone recommending. You must find a way.
"I found a way of having a programme called 'first touch' where we founded players like Luke Le Roux [Varnamo, Sweden], Tashreeq Matthews [Mamelodi Sundowns], he was 11 years old when we found him, Jayden Adams [Stellenbosch], he was ten years old when we found him, Kegan Johannes [Sundowns], they were part of my programme, when we went around Cape Town to make sure we get 11, 12-year-olds. Seeing them now play professionally makes me proud," Maliwa added.
Chiefs' youth teams have been doing very well, winning silverware left right and centre but it is the integration and identifying the best players for the first team and scouting players suited for the winning culture Amakhosi have been known for that has been missing.
