Durban — AmaZulu are part of a special group of brands that have transcended time and have kept their history and traditions, while attempting to usher themselves into a new era of South African football.
Founded 91 years ago in 1932 under the name Zulu Royals, the club’s past isn't particularly littered with major honours but rather a regular occurrence of runners-up. Now under the ownership of the Durban-based Zungu family, the club are looking to seek out a new level of prestige and establish themselves as one of the biggest brands in SA football.
In his maiden season at the helm, the club’s president Sandile Zungu saw his club make history by finishing second behind Mamelodi Sundowns and qualifying for the qualifying round of the Caf Champions League - quite the arrival.
The club also featured in the MTN8 final last season but since then, it has been a downward spiral.
So, how do Usuthu get themselves back on track and start to make ground on the leading clubs in the Premiership?
The club concluded the most recent campaign with Ayanda Dlamini as an interim head coach, with the objective to retain their top-flight status and a view to reassess in the close season.
Club sources have indicated that they do not intend to have Dlamini remain in the position for the new season. It is probably a good decision, considering the club’s first priority is a coach experienced enough to engineer their project.
The club are expected to release quite a substantial number of players in the upcoming transfer window, rightfully so considering their disappointing season where they finished three points above the relegation zone.
AmaZulu will need to establish and support a culture-driven approach to the formation of their new-look team as second on their priority list, one that would inform the kind of recruitment the incoming coach would facilitate.
The club’s board of directors have always emphasised an importance in adopting traits from some of the world’s leading football clubs, perhaps taking a page or two from the likes of Liverpool, Manchester City, Barcelona and domestically Mamelodi Sundowns might aid their rebuild.
The third priority on the club’s list would be the seeking out and hiring of “football minds” particularly SA football minds in the administration of the club, individuals with a wide understanding of both the glamour and the dark sides of the domestic game.
The club has been greatly disrupted by off-field issues for the better part of the season. Incidents of ill-discipline and change-room divisions are part of the list of problems a street-smart administrator alongside an experienced coach might control.
IOL Sport