‘It’s a mismatch’ – Radebe criticises Chiefs over Ntseki appointment

Lucas Radebe has described Kaizer Chiefs‘ decision to appoint Molefi Ntseki as a ‘mismatch’ and believes the new Amakhosi head coach is not good enough to take the side forward.

Chiefs shocked many in the South African footballing world when they announced on Wednesday evening that Ntseki had been moved from his position of Head of Technical and Youth and Chiefs to permanent head coach, with Arthur Zwane demoted to assistant coach alongside Dillon Sheppard

“I thought we would get somebody better,” said Radebe, when asked about Ntseki at the EPL 30 Africa XI Media event in Randburg on Thursday.

“I don’t think he is good enough to be the quality coach for a big club like Kaizer Chiefs. It is a mismatch for me.

“I might be wrong! He might take Chiefs to greater heights … we will have to wait and see,” added the former Chiefs, Leeds United and Bafana Bafana defender. 

In the main, however, Radebe echoed the reaction of many to the appointment of a man who did coach Bafana Bafana, but who has never been a head coach before in the DStv Premiership.

Ntseki is the 7^th head coach appointed by Chiefs in the last five years during which time they have failed to win a single Premier Soccer League trophy. Amakhosi, indeed, are on a run of eight years without a piece of top flight silverware, since lifting the DStv Premiership title under Stuart Baxter at the end of the 2014/15 season.

The former Bloemfontein Celtic assistant coach, who also coached South Africa’s youth teams for some time, took over as Bafana head coach in August 2019, but failed to guide the team to the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations finals, losing a vital final qualiifer 2-0 to Sudan in Omdurman in March 2021.

Amakhosi appointment

He was appointed by Chiefs as Head of Technical and Youth in May 2021, shortly after Amakhosi sacked Gavin Hunt as their head coach.

Hunt, now head coach of SuperSport United, appeared to quickly delete a tweet on Wednesday evening, reacting to Ntseki’s appointment with a series of laughing emojis.

It remains to be seen if Ntseki will have the last laugh.