A former Orlando Pirates star has thrown his weight behind Manchester United coach Benni McCarthy for the vacant Kaizer Chiefs head coach position.
Amakhosi have been searching for a permanent replacement for Molefi Ntseki, who was sacked in October 2023 due to poor results. Cavin Johnson has been guiding the team on an interim basis until the end of the season.
Chiefs, who haven’t lifted a trophy in the past nine seasons will be looking to turn the tables around in the following season.
Chiefs haven't lifted a trophy in nine seasons, with their last success coming in the 2014/15 ABSA Premiership under Stuart Baxter. They also secured the MTN8 title that year.
Meanwhile, McCarthy's contract with Manchester United expires at the end of June. He awaits a decision on whether the club will retain him.
Given McCarthy's past successes with South African clubs AmaZulu FC and Cape Town City, Lebohang Mokoena believes the 46-year-old is ready for a bigger challenge.
“Cheeseboy” feels Chiefs would be a perfect fit for the all-time leading scorer of the Bafana Bafana.
LEBOHANG MOKOENA SAYS CHIEFS IS THE RIGHT IS THE PERFECT FIT FOR BENNI MCCARTHY
“I think it's the right time and the right team for Benni (McCarthy) to step up in his coaching career,” Mokoena told Siya Crew of Soccer Laduma.
“He proved it at Cape Town City where he won a trophy and at AmaZulu where he finished second in the league and took the team to the group stages of the CAF Champions League. It's time to step up at a big team like Kaizer Chiefs.
“They should give him the chance and trust in him. He plays direct football and has good team management which is needed at a club like Chiefs. For me, seriously speaking, he could have been the right coach for Chiefs right now.”
Mokoena added that McCarthy has the advantage of being respected by young players, who would likely be motivated to perform under him.
“The young players respect him. They adore him for what he has achieved which is a bonus for the club. He also can control the dressing room because of that respect that the players have for him,” he added.
Two weeks ago, McCarthy admitted on Marawa Sports Worldwide that a Chiefs offer would be difficult to refuse should it come his way.
‘YOU DON’T SAY NO TO INSTITUTIONS’
“Not many coaches in the world say no to institutions, Man United is an institution, Real Madrid is an institution, Bayern Munich is an institution. Vincent Kompany has joined Bayern Munich, he has gone to join an institution,” said McCarthy as quoted by FARPost.
“I think we can safely say that Kaizer Chiefs is an institution, listen, it’s a great club that I always had a lot of love for. My local team, the team that I supported as a kid is the Black and Gold of Kaizer Chiefs. Unfortunately, I never had the pleasure to play for them or to coach them.
“If the opportunity comes or anything, of course, I’ll have to sit down and think about it because like I said, you don’t say no to institutions.”
