Johannesburg – Steve Komphela is under no illusion that he’s got big shoes to fill.
Following Stuart Baxter’s impressive run at Kaizer Chiefs, which saw him win two league titles, the Nedbank Cup as well as the MTN8 in the three years he had spent with the club, the former Bafana Bafana assistant coach believes he’s got what it takes to step up to the challenge.
Komphela was announced as Amakhosi’s new head coach yesterday at Naturena on a three year deal following his resignation as Maritzburg United’s coach on Monday.
Komphela admitted that joining Chiefs was one of the more difficult decisions he had to make, having led the Team of Choice to their first top eight finish last season. But Komphela felt that this was the time to move on to new challenges.
“This was the most difficult decision I had to make but yet it felt right,” he said. “They say the greatest growth takes place in the most uncomfortable spaces. One must be comfortable with discomfort. And the challenges which lie ahead must give me comfort in that I’m comfortable in being uncomfortable.
“There’s a saying: ‘To whom much is given, much is expected’. I’m looking forward to this historic, yet great challenge. I’m looking forward to donning that golden jersey again and working with the players because that’s where I’m most comfortable.”
Komphela, however, will also take pride in the fact that he is the first black South African coach to be appointed as the Glamour Boys’ head coach in the PSL era. He was an assistant coach under Mushin Ertugral back in 2000-2002. And now as head coach, the 47-year-old understands that anything less than winning trophies at his new club will be regarded as a failure.
“It’s a massive challenge. I’ve sat down with the chairman and he took me through some of the things which are expected of me (going into the season). And that made me understand the ambition the club has going into the new season.
“At Chiefs, you’ve got to have that ambition of winning league titles. Anything less is unacceptable. I don’t want people walking up to me in filling stations telling me that I’m at the wrong place. And so, you must have that ambition to deliver with Chiefs. It comes with the job”.
Chiefs chairman Kaizer Motaung explained why the club had not opted to hire a black South African coach before.
“Not that black coaches were not welcomed at the club previously, they were,” Motaung said. “It’s just that there weren’t available coaches back then who where capable of taking the coaching job here at Chiefs. In the past we had to go further than South Africa to hire coaches who we believed were suitable to take the job”. - Cape Times