Motaung reveals Kaizer Chiefs deadline for appointment of new head coach

Kaizer Chiefs have set themselves a target of the beginning of the preseason for their 2018-19 campaign to announce a new coach‚ Amakhosi’s football manager Bobby Motaung has said.

He said that Chiefs have had “more than 15” applications for the post vacated when Steve Komphela resigned on April 21‚ now almost a month ago.

Motaung confirmed that for Chiefs it is a priority to have a coach in place once the preseason begins‚ which is in about three weeks‚ between the the middle and end of June.

“It’s normal that it should be a priority‚” Motaung told TimesLIVE on Wednesday.

“We are working around it‚ but we are doing it properly. We’re not just in a rush.

“We’re not doing a hasty job. We are doing our work to get a proper man for the job.”

It was put to Motaung that Chiefs' tough job of finding a suitable coach is made just a little more doable by having already had a month since Komphela’s departure to begin their search.

“Like I say‚ it’s a process. It’s not like you can do a thumbsuck and get a coach overnight‚” he said.

“I think the process is unfolding. We will make announcements soon.

“It’s not just waking up and appointing a coach. There are a lot of factors when you are considering a coach.”

Motaung did not want to be specific on what Chiefs’ deadline to appoint a coach was.

“We’ve got our own deadline but we’re not making announcements on that. Because then we are under pressure with the media‚ and with everybody asking.

“The process is unfolding. We will make announcements as and when we are ready to.”

Komphela resigned on the verge of completing a third season without a trophy after Chiefs’ 2-0 Nedbank Cup semifinal defeat against Free State Stars at Moses Mabhida Stadium‚ which resulted in a violent pitch invasion.

Among coaches linked to the Amakhosi job have been Serbian Nikola Kavazovic‚ who has led Botswana’s Township Rollers to this year’s Caf Champions League group stages‚ and is on the verge of clinching a third successive league title with the Gaborone team.

Luc Eymael‚ who won the Nedbank Cup with Free State Stars this weekend‚ has insisted he has not been contacted by Chiefs.

Patrice Carteron and Avram Grant's names have been linked with Chiefs‚ though both are believed to come at a tremendous cost.