“Who Takes the Decisions?” — Former Kaizer Chiefs Co-Coach Lifts Lid on Management Flaws

Former Kaizer Chiefs co-coach Khalil Ben Youssef has expressed strong reservations regarding the club’s decision to implement a co-coaching model following the departure of head coach Nasreddine Nabi.

Ben Youssef and Cedric Kaze were appointed as interim co-coaches in October 2025 to steer the Glamour Boys through the remainder of the 2025/26 campaign. Despite leading the Soweto giants to their second-highest points tally in eleven years, the duo was released at the end of the season.

Speaking after his exit from Naturena, the Tunisian tactician admitted that sharing the top job created clear leadership complications, specifically when it came to squad selection and final footballing decisions.

Key Takeaways from Ben Youssef’s Assessment

• Unfamiliar Territory: Ben Youssef revealed that across his 15-year career, he had never encountered a co-coaching setup globally until observing Arthur Zwane at AmaZulu.
• Decision-Making Bottlenecks: The tactician highlighted that when opinions diverge on crucial selections—such as choosing between two right-backs—the model offers no clear tie-breaker.
• A Reality Check on the Squad: He noted a major disconnect between the club’s high ambitions and the reality of the squad, warning that the current setup remains far behind domestic heavyweights like Mamelodi Sundowns and Orlando Pirates.

The 2025/26 Campaign by the Numbers

Despite the internal confusion surrounding the dual leadership setup, the technical team managed to steady the ship significantly before their contracts expired:

With both tacticians now gone, Kaizer Chiefs find themselves back in the market restructuring their technical team ahead of the 2026/27 season, with French-Portuguese coach Fernando Da Cruz heavily linked to the hot seat