Johannesburg — Arthur Zwane appears to have done all to scare off his predecessor in charge of the club’s reserves, Vela Khumalo, when Kaizer Chiefs went Live on Instagram last week.
In the clip that’s making rounds on social media, Zwane mocks Khumalo that he’ll quickly grow a goatee as well given the pressure that comes with being the reserve team coach.
As if that was not enough. The new Amakhosi head coach reminds Khumalo that “this (club) is the biggest thing in South Africa” in his parting shot!
Arthur Zwane tells Mfundo Vilakazi to stop kneeling on the ball 🤣🤣😁😁 pic.twitter.com/XIB9hcgdSz
— Mdu Shabalala is a star ✨🌟 (@SenzoSambo) July 15, 2022
But Khumalo responded to lecture 101 from the Amkhosi legend by delivering where it mattered the most: on the pitch.
The Amakhosi reserve team beat rivals Mamelodi Sundowns’ 2-0 in Soshanguve on Saturday to book their spot in the final of this season’s DStv Diski Shield.
Many Amakhosi faithful tipped the win as a ground breaking feat of what’s not only to come from the juniors next season but from the club as a collective.
Although that waits to be seen, Zwane’s presence in Soshanguve was a testament that the seniors and reserves will be pulling in the same direction next season.
Zwane is a club legend. That’s why when the management wanted someone who’ll restore Chiefs’ identity and winning culture they didn’t look beyond him.
What makes his appointment unique is that he didn’t feel entitled to the job. Instead, he backed it up with qualifications and junior coaching experience.
It was Zwane who polished raw talents such as Nkosingiphile Ngcobo and Njabulo Blom into prized assets for the senior team during his stint in the reserves.
And that’s why coaches such as Khumalo must feel like they are in the presence of greatness, with a new dawn coming for young coaches as they'll be given opportunities by the big clubs.
Khumalo is an astute development coach as well, having played a key role in unearthing some of the brightest stalwarts during his stint with the U17 national team side.
But he’ll be the first person to admit that having the first team coached by someone of Zwane’s calibre is a feat that motivates his players as well.
It must be the reserves' dream to play for the senior team especially now it's coached by Zwane, given his tactical prowess and human qualities.
Zwane is a sucker for constructive and attractive football, with the results being the final product of the hard work they’ve put in during build up.
During that Live session, he was quick to reprimand the mesmeric Mfundo Vilakazi from continuing with his ball dancing movements, telling him to be constructive with the ball.
In that session, the reserves got a hint of what it takes to become a fully-fledged Chiefs’ player.
That Samir Nurkovic’s contract was not renewed by the club was not a fluke. Zwane made it clear during his stint as an interim coach that they’ll be playing carpet football.
The Serbian, meanwhile, is an aerial striker having been prolific with headers since arriving at Chiefs three seasons ago.
Should Chiefs’ reserves beat Stellenbosch in the DStv Shield on Saturday, there could be more players being promoted to the senior team from the side.
After all, Zwane has shown that he’s in sync with the reserves, having the club award its captain Mduduzi Shabalala with a first team contract in June.
IOL Sport