Former Kaizer Chiefs coach Steve Komphela believes the club was on the verge of winning a league championship during his time in charge but was ultimately let down by too many draws.
Komphela, who is now coaching Moroka Swallows, lost just six matches in his three seasons at Chiefs, but the club failed to win a single trophy.
In a post-match press conference on Sunday, Komphela said: “It is because of years and years of building. At Kaizer Chiefs, we lost only six matches in the 2015/16 season. In the 2016/17 season, we lost six matches, the whole season. 2017/18, ask me how many matches did we lose? We lost another six. That tells you, ‘Wait a minute, this thing is about to click’. In any league, you are likely to be the champion if you lose six matches. What [stopped] Chiefs not being champions [when I was there] was too many draws.”
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Steve Komphela’s comments come when Chiefs are once again struggling to challenge for the title. The Soweto giants finished fifth last season but are currently 13 points behind leaders Mamelodi Sundowns.
Amakhosi have played nine games and are in eighth place, while Sundowns have a game in hand. On four occasions, Chiefs fans have thrown missiles at the current coach after losing games.
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Chiefs coach Molefi Ntseki is under pressure from fans after a poor start to the season. After an underwhelming term, he took over from Arthur Zwane at the end of last season.
Whether Chiefs will keep Ntseki as head coach remains to be seen, but Komphela’s words suggest that the club needs to succeed.
“The only mistake in South Africa is they don’t wait for the process. As a result of the lack of process, it won’t click – nothing will happen. What Sundowns have gone through over the years to develop a machine like this – beyond envy, we are jealous about it, which is not normal that this thing is just too difficult to beat.”