'This is what we've been waiting for': Fans react to Stuart Baxter leaving Kaizer Chiefs

Fans have reacted to the departure of Stuart Baxter at Kaizer Chiefs, with some welcoming the move and others claiming he should have been given more time.

Chiefs confirmed on Thursday evening that Baxter had parted ways with the club.

“After a series of meetings, Kaizer Chiefs and coach Stuart Baxter have come to a mutual agreement of an early termination of his contract with immediate effect.

“In his second spell with Kaizer Chiefs, Baxter led the team in 23 matches, excluding three league matches in December 2021 [when Baxter was one of 50 Covid-19 cases at the club],” Chiefs said.

Assistant coaches Arthur Zwane and Dillon Sheppard will take charge of the team for the remainder of the season, starting with the club's next match against Stellenbosch FC on Saturday.

Baxter recently responded to suggestion he should step aside, saying he would only do so  if asked by the club's bosses. He then made the incorrect claim that he is the only coach to bring success to the club in the last 20 years.

“I don’t have any message to the fans because if they want me to go, I will go. If the chair says ‘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.

“They are fans and have the right to say exactly what they want. If that reflects what the chair thinks, what the players think and what our majority of fans think, then maybe I should walk.

“Obviously, that’s not something a group of fans will decide. The football club will decide, or I will decide and if I get that feeling, of course I will walk,” he said.

Social media was flooded with reaction to Baxter's departure. Here are some of the reactions: