Snl24 | Tinkler gets another chance to audition for Chiefs job?

JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA – OCTOBER 03: Cape Town City coach Eric Tinkler celebrates with players during the DStv Premiership match between Kaizer Chiefs and Cape Town City FC at FNB Stadium on October 03, 2023 in Johannesburg, South Africa. (Photo by Lefty Shivambu/Gallo Images)

As Kaizer Chiefs continue to search for a permanent head coach, ahead of their next encounter against Cape Town City, they are coming up against a man who has an impeccable record against them in the last decade.

Amakhosi’s coaching issues have continued after interim coach Cavin Johnson experienced a bad start following the re-opening of the season, with the exit from the Nedbank Cup and the Soweto Derby loss to Orlando Pirates sticking out like a sore thumb.

In the process, Johnson became the first Chiefs coach to lose his first two league derbies against the Buccaneers since 1996.

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In spite of suggestions that the Naturena outfit prefer hiring foreign coaches, they have shown willingness to offer astute South African tacticians a chance after they hired Steve Komphela and Gavin Hunt, among others.

With Chiefs visiting the Citizens on Saturday, City head coach Eric Tinkler has one of the best records against Amakhosi since his early coaching days at Pirates.

During his spells at the Buccaneers in 2014 and 2016, he only lost once to Chiefs, on penalties in the Telkom Knockout semi-finals, and was unbeaten in the league, with the only other defeat coming three days after he was named interim coach following the resignation of Vladimir Vermezovic.

The former Bafana Bafana midfielder also had Chiefs’ number in his first spell at the Citizens between July 2016 and June 2017, where he was unbeaten against the Glamour Boys, with one win and a draw in the league.

He also knocked them out of the MTN8 in the quarter-finals.

Tinkler continued to be a thorn in the flesh for Amakhosi during his stay at SuperSport United, between July 2017 and March 2018, after he repeated the same feat from his first spell at City, where he won one game and drew another in league meetings and booted them out of the MTN8 in the quarter-finals.

During his short spell at Chippa United between August and December of 2018, the 53-year-old coach also did not lose his only game against the Naturena outfit after a goalless draw in the league.

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A stop at Maritzburg United in 2019 also saw Tinkler stand his ground in head-to-head matches against Chiefs, as he only lost twice, won twice and drew the other out of five meetings.

Currently in his second spell at City from May 2021, he has only lost once against his opponents on Saturday and boasts four victories out of six meetings.

With a win at Athlone, it may throw his name in the hat for the hotly contested head coaching job in the South of Johannesburg, who knows…

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