Snl24 | Chiefs hold crucial meeting with technical team

POLOKWANE, SOUTH AFRICA – DECEMBER 30: Kaizer Chiefs bench during the DStv Premiership match between Sekhukhune United and Kaizer Chiefs at Peter Mokaba Stadium on December 30, 2023 in Polokwane, South Africa. (Photo by Philip Maeta/Gallo Images)

Kaizer Chiefs are working around the clock to finalize the appointment of a new head coach and are currently meeting with the technical team to discuss their futures, KickOff can exclusively reveal.

Chiefs are having a technical meeting on Friday to officially put the 2023/24 season behind them and map a way forward for the current technical team, whose futures with the club are on the balance.

It was already expected that interim head coach Cavin Johnson will vacate his position with the senior team, but as reported by this publication, Johnson is expected to learn his fate on whether he will be retained as Head of Youth in that meeting.

READ: D-Day for Johnson at Chiefs?

After serving as assistant coach to Gavin Hunt, Arthur Zwane and Molefi Ntseki, Dillon Sheppard’s future with the club will also be under serious discussion.

Sheppard was initially appointed on a three-year contract after arriving at Hunt’s recommendation in 2020 but survived the chop in all the technical team changes to date.

However, Amakhosi are believed to be open to making drastic structural changes in their technical set-up to accommodate a new head coach ahead of the 2024/25 season.

KickOff has it on good authority that in addition to Alexandre Santos and Pitso Mosimane leading the hierarchy’s preferences at the moment, the one candidate being seriously be considered is Nasreddine Nabi.

The club has reportedly reopened talks with the Tunisian, who was close to joining Chiefs last season.

All these leading candidates are expected to be coming with their own technical team and the fact that the Soweto giants have reignited their interest in Nabi shows that they are willing to accommodate a new coach’s entourage, the opposite of which made the deal to bring him to Naturena collapse.

Sheppard reportedly signed a one-year contract extension at the beginning of the season and Chiefs would no longer be tied with the former Bidvest Wits winger if they don’t have him in their plans for next season.

Speculation is also rife that German goalkeeper coach Rainer Dinkelacker, who returned to the club in an advisory role at the beginning of the season, could be leaving after shot-stopper Itumeleng Khune posted on his Instagram a picture presenting him with a signed jersey, which many viewed it as a farewell gesture.

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The likes of goalkeeper coach Aubrey Mathibe, the sport science department linked to the first team headed by strength and conditioning coach Muzi Maluleke and the analysis department could also learn their fate in this technical meeting on whether they will continue for next season.

KickOff will keep readers updated all the way.

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