Khanye not convinced Zwane will end Chiefs’ trophy drought

Former Kaizer Chiefs star Junior Khanye is still not convinced that head coach Arthur Zwane is the right man to take Amakhosi back to their glory days.

At the back of the Soweto derby narrow victory against archrivals Orlando Pirates at the weekend, Khanye has urged the Amakhosi supporters not to raise their hopes in thinking that the Soweto giants have turned the corner.

Khanye, 37, and Zwane were teammates during the “Operation vat alles” era.

The highlight of that period was during the 2001/02 season when Chiefs won four major trophies in five months – Mandela Cup, Coca Cola Cup, BP Top 8, and the Vodacom Challenge.

Despite seeing improvements since Zwane took over at the beginning of the season, the controversial football analyst does not believe Amakhosi will win silverware any time soon.

“I have said this before and I will say it again, the supporters should not expect anything [trophies] from Arthur Zwane,” Khanye said in an interview with Sunday World.

“Yes, his team has improved compared to Ernst [Middendorp], Gavin [Hunt] and Stuart Baxter. You can see that he is emphasizing that his players play from the back.

“But because of his inexperience, the expectations and history that the club has, it is going to be very difficult for him. So, there shouldn’t be any expectations from the supporters, but the improvement is there.

“For him to say he is going to win something, I still say he is not going to win any domestic trophy. Being a Kaizer Chiefs coach is not easy, every game is like a cup final.

“I know this because I played there. After the direction the club took, it is not going to be easy. We [fans] should not raise our hopes.”


Zwane has guided Amakhosi to fifth position on the DStv Premiership log so far, 24 points behind run-away leaders Mamelodi Sundowns.

With the league title seemingly out of reach and having already missed out on the MTN8 this season, the Soweto giants have it all to play for in the Nedbank Cup to end their eight-year trophy drought.

Amakhosi face Motsepe Foundation Championship title contenders Casric Stars in the Nedbank Cup round of 16 clash at the FNB Stadium next Sunday.

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