We don’t know who the next Chiefs coach will be - but it won’t be Mabedi

Patrick Mabedi will not be appointed full-time coach of Kaizer Chiefs‚ Amakhosi’s football manager Bobby Motaung has stressed.

As Chiefs continue to delay naming a new coach three weeks into a preseason that has so far been overseen by caretaker Mabedi‚ the prospect of the Malawian former Amakhosi centreback having to start 2018/19 as the club’s coach becomes less and less inconceivable.

Motaung‚ though‚ has told TimesLIVE that Chiefs will certainly appoint a head coach before the start of the season‚ even if they have already missed their own first deadline of the beginning of the preseason.

Mabedi was the assistant to Steve Komphela‚ who quit as head coach in April.

The 44-year-old Malawian will remain in that position‚ Motaung stressed.

“I have made it clear‚ I don’t want to contradict myself‚ that Chiefs is going to appoint a coach‚” Motaung said.

“I have made it clear that Patrick Mabedi is the assistant coach – he’s the caretaker-coach at the moment. We’ve got a technical staff that is working with the team.

“A coach will be appointed in due course. But there’s no pressure – it’s a process.”

Mabedi oversaw Chiefs’ final three games of 2017/18 as caretaker with a defeat and two victories‚ steering the team home to third place.

However‚ Motaung has indicated in press reports that some coaches fit the bill of assistants‚ and others of head coaches‚ and Mabedi falls into the former category at Chiefs.