Kaizer Chiefs management ‘fully behind’ under-pressure Arthur Zwane

Kaizer Chiefs coach Arthur Zwane still enjoys solid backing from club management, Amakhosi’s sporting director Kaizer Motaung Jr said.

As Chiefs continue to blow hot and cold in Zwane's maiden season, calls for the coach to be sacked have gained momentum as many supporters lose patience ahead of Saturday's DStv Premiership Soweto derby against arch-rivals Orlando Pirates at Johannesburg's FNB Stadium (3.30pm).

Making Zwane's job tougher in a rebuilding process is that Chiefs will go to eight seasons without silverware if they cannot win the Nedbank Cup in 2022-23, so the pressure for results is immense. The coach was booed by supporters after Amakhosi’s 3-2 league defeat to Lamontville Golden Arrows in Polokwane on Sunday.

Motaung has backed Zwane to continue leading the team and said club management feel the coach has not performed poorly at all.

The sporting director added though, that the leadership are not pleased with the team's inconsistency as they wallow in fifth place in the Premiership.

“Our board of directors and the chair [Kaizer Motaung Snr] are fully behind the coach and our job is to provide infrastructure and support as much as we can,” Motaung said.

“The thing is, it’s a tricky one for him because we are facing Pirates, for example, and Pirates are perceived to have had an amazing run [compared with Chiefs]. But they are three points ahead of us.

“We have drawn the same amount of matches and I think they have won one more than us. We have scored maybe one more goal, so it’s fine margins and perceptions.

“Also, you’ve got a team [Richards Bay FC] above us that have won one game in seven matches, but they are sitting at number four.”

While Pirates have not been that impressive in the Premiership, they have won the MTN8 this season.

Chiefs are into the Nedbank Cup last 16 after their 2-0 extra-time away win against Maritzburg United in the previous round. A trophy would buy Zwane, a fan favourite at his appointment before this season, huge credit with Chiefs' more impatient supporters.

Motaung called for patience and support for the embattled coach.

“At the moment, the most important thing for the technical staff is [to get] a lot of calmness and support.

“And again, emotions and perceptions can be misleading — we need to make sure that everyone can be as objective as possible.”