For Chiefs, a piece of history and perfect platform for young stars to grow in Confed

Some might have taken a breath in appreciation of the scale of history that was made by Kaizer Chiefs at Dobsonville Stadium on Sunday, as they qualified for the Caf Confederation Cup group stages for the first time.

It was Amakhosi’s second entry into the group stages in any continental competition ― not a statistic that will please such a major club. They qualified for the round-robins in the 2020-21 Caf Champions League and went on to the final of that Covid-affected tournament, losing 3-0 against Pitso Mosimane’s Al Ahly.

Since 2001 when they won one of the predecessors of the Confed Cup ― the Caf Cup Winners’ Cup, which in 2004 merged with the Caf Cup to form the new competition ― under Muhsin Ertugral, Amakhosi have struggled not only to add another continental trophy but to make any major impact. They were eliminated in the qualifying rounds of the 2014 and 2018 Confed Cups.

Overall, in the three decades since South Africa’s return to international football, Amakhosi have performed better in the Champions League. In five attempts, they have only failed to progress beyond the last 32 once, in 2016.

Chiefs’ impressive 3-1 aggregate victory (with the first leg ending in a 0-0 draw) over Democratic Republic of the Congo’s AS Simba in the second leg of their Confed second preliminary-round tie on Sunday marks a major step up in the competition. Both the players and coaches will gain valuable insights into African inter-club football, a realm that Mamelodi Sundowns and Orlando Pirates have successfully navigated in recent years.

Amakhosi’s Burundian co-head coach Cedric Kaze, who arrived at Naturena as an assistant coach and translator for now-departed Tunisian coach Nasreddine Nabi, demonstrated a deep understanding of the challenges ahead. Kaze cautioned the group stages could be tough to negotiate, as Chiefs may encounter formidable opponents such as Wydad Athletic from Morocco, CR Belouizdad from Algeria and Zamalek from Egypt.

“I was checking the teams that have qualified in the Confed Cup [group stage], some are serious contestants. There’s Zamalek, Wydad and Belouizdad. Such good teams, we’re happy we’re going to compete against them. It’s true that those kinds of games add experience to the players,” Kaze said.

Chiefs’ young players, such as South Africa Under-20 star Mfundo Vilakazi, who provided two crucial assists in Sunday’s victory, and Mduduzi Shabalala, who has been called up to the Bafana Bafana squad several times, will gain invaluable experience in the Confed Cup.

Such progression has been instrumental for many players from Mamelodi Sundowns and Orlando Pirates, who typically dominate Hugo Broos’s national squad and approach international matches with confidence.

It is unfortunate that Pirates were eliminated in the Champions League preliminaries over the weekend, losing to another DRC outfit in Saint-Eloi Lupopo. As a result, only three South African teams — Sundowns, Chiefs and Stellenbosch — will compete in the group stages of Caf’s interclub competitions this season.

Kaze believes some of Chiefs’ more experienced players, particularly those who have participated in Caf competitions before, will play a crucial role steering youngsters like Shabalala and Vilakazi through the Confed group stage.

“Players like [Lebohang] Maboe, [Gaston] Sirino, ‘Mshini’ [Nkosingiphile Ngcobo], Zitha [Kwinika] and a lot of others have a big task in guiding the young ones. Everyone is going to be very important because you cannot go through if you don’t have a very good group of players,” he said.

The coach emphasised no-one at Chiefs should underestimate the achievement the senior team has produced qualifying for the group stages, especially after recently ending a 10-year trophy drought by winning the Nedbank Cup at the end of last season under Nabi.

What particularly pleased Kaze was witnessing the impact of some new signings, such as Nigerian striker Etiosa Ighodaro, so soon after their arrival. Ighodaro, playing his second official match for Chiefs on Sunday, opened the scoring. Kaze, however, is not surprised by his quick contribution to the team’s attack.

“Sometimes I believe it’s not easy to find that kind of a striker. He’s a player who can score from the rebounds and can hold the ball and allow everyone to come up.

“It gives us that energy and allows every player to get in his right position going forward. I would say we’ve missed that a lot because sometimes the ball goes forward and we lose it very quickly, and we have to come back and defend.”

Chiefs will learn who their group stage opponents are in the draw to be conducted in Johannesburg on November 3.