Johannesburg – Kaizer Chiefs today confirmed local football’s worst kept secret after confirming the return of Stuart Baxter to the team.
Baxter will be Chiefs’ coach for two years, plus a two-year option to renew, the team said in a statement.
Baxter has been welcomed at the club for his second stint as head coach following the 51-year-old club experiencing one of their worst domestic league campaigns under Hunt, who was roped in last September but could not even finish the recently concluded season.
“We believe we are on track with the changes we have made so far in the coaching and technical department after a challenging season domestically,” Kaizer Motaung, the club’s chairman said.
“After extensive reviews and consultations, we decided to appoint Stuart because we believe he is one coach who understands our philosophy and culture. We know his work ethic and believe he will work with the team we have at the moment while trying to rebuild and ensure we have a formidable side for the new season.”
Also read: LISTEN: New Chiefs coach Stuart Baxter apologises for ‘rape comments’ he made in India
Baxter’s first stint at the helm of Amakhosi was successful, winning two league titles in 2012/13 and 2014/15, the Nedbank Cup in 2012/13 and MTN8 during the 2014/15 season.
“It has been six years since Stuart left Chiefs after winning the league trophy in 2015, but he departed on good terms and remains a well-liked figure by many supporters, colleagues and some of the players he coached at the time. We believe he will be able to work within our current setup and will use the time to understand some of the players he’s not familiar with,” Motaung added.
Arthur Zwane and Dillon Sheppard will retain their positions as Baxter’s assistants.
New Kaizer Chiefs Head Coach, Stuart Baxter
Contract details: https://t.co/zNhcUJJoYx#Amakhosi4Life #WelcomeBackBaxter pic.twitter.com/BTIutA2QFJ
— Kaizer Chiefs (@KaizerChiefs) June 9, 2021
Although Chiefs are in the semi-finals of the CAF Champions League, they squeezed through into next season’s top eight after narrowly winning the last match of the season, beating TS Galaxy 1-0.
After leaving Chiefs in 2015, Baxter went on to coach a local team, Bafana Bafana and other teams outside the country. At Bafana, he worked with Molefi Ntseki and had a great working relationship.
Also read: Bafana Bafana’s assistant coach Janevski Cedomir tests positive for Covid-19
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