Kaizer Chiefs' interim coach Arthur Zwane (left). Picture: Gavin Barker/BackpagePix
Seeing Kaizer Chiefs become the laughing stock of local football after collapsing from being cup kings to suffering a lengthy trophy drought pains Arthur Zwane. The interim coach says he sometimes even struggles to sleep because of the worry about the current situation at Naturena. He however believes that with everyone’s buy-in, he can turn things around.
“We are in a difficult situation and it is not only this season. Even last season we were fighting to be in the top eight,” said Zwane this week.
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“I think qualifying for the Champions League finals happened for a reason, but unfortunately we didn’t win it. But it gave us hope in a sense that we had challenges in not being able to bring in new players (because of the ban).
“It is only this season that we managed to get new players. We then needed to help those new players to understand how things are done here, the structure and the pressure that comes with playing for Kaizer Chiefs… the responsibility on their shoulders as players.
“It is not possible to get that right in one season especially looking at where we are coming from as a club with so many challenges.
“But we are on the right track, it has been a setback and not a train smash. We have another season to redeem ourselves and get things back where they were, and we are definitely going to turn things around.”
Zwane says his daily routines have been affected as he constantly thinks of ways to change the course for Amakhosi.
“There is no way I can sleep well… Sometimes I don’t even eat well because I believe I can help the club – I know this club in and out. With the support of everyone, I see the future as bright.
“I know the players from when they were Under 13’s, I have been here for 22 years and it’s painful to see the team in this situation. But I have no doubt that it will change for the better. It is not the first time that we find ourselves in such a situation.
“In fact in my first season here – it was the 1999/2000 season – the team had just won the Bobsave and the following one we won nothing.”