Stuart Baxter’s second stint as Kaizer Chiefs coach has come to an abrupt end, the Siya crew has been led to believe.
The announcement was made to the technical team by sporting director Kaizer Motaung Jnr and it is thought assistant coaches Arthur Zwane and Dillion Sheppard will be in charge for the remainder of the season.
Baxter had signed a contract until 2023 with an option to have it renewed for a further two years, but Chiefs will now begin their search for his replacement.
The Englishman arrived at Naturena for a second spell on the back of one that was quite successful between 2012 and 2015 – Baxter won two league titles and two domestic cups in that period, before resigning with a year left on his deal.
He went on to coach in Turkey before returning to SA after being appointed at SuperSport United and then subsequently Bafana Bafana for another second stint.
Chiefs brought him back to revive those glory days when Gavin Hunt, another big coach with a massive pedigree for winning, did not enjoy any success and was also sacked after just eight months at the helm.
Hunt was at Naturena at the time when the club could not sign players due to their FIFA sanction, but they were able to recruit nine new players as of July 1 and it meant Baxter would have a fresh look when he took over.
It has been a topsy-turvy start and it became clear he would be on his way when Motaung Jnr told the media recently that his intentions was to reduce the average age of the squad and that management had been upset with being knocked out of the Nedbank Cup.
Baxter managed 11 wins from 26 matches and nine defeats, leaving the Glamour Boys in fourth place in the DStv Premiership with seven matches to go.
Perhaps the biggest indicator that he would go was last weekend on Saturday night when fans pelted him with objects and asked that he quit!
During his post-match press conference Baxter told the media: “I don’t have any message to the fans, because if they want me to go, I will go. If the chairman (Kaizer Motaung) says to me ‘Stuart, I don’t think you are doing a good job,’ then I will walk. I’ve got no problem doing that. I will walk myself if I don’t think I’m affecting the team in a positive way, I will walk. No problem.”
Listen to the SL Podcast, where fans have called for Arthur Zwane to take over as head coach:
