Kaizer Chiefs coaching dilemma: Rulani gone, Pitso not interested, whom do they turn to?

Have Kaizer Chiefs’ options when it comes to their next coaching appointment thinned?

Chiefs are expected to be in the market for a new coach at the end of the season but the three top South African coaches linked to the role have either expressed ambitions for something else or taken up a new job.

Amakhosi have had a challenging season under co-coaches Cedric Kaze and Khalil Ben Youssef, who were promoted from Nasreddine Nabi’s assistants to the main men when their boss left last September.

All of them had their deals running until June 2026 and after exiting all cup competitions and kissing the title race goodbye, few expect the two to retain their positions even if the secure CAF Confederation Cup qualification.

That therefore turns the spotlight to who would be the replacements but here is where Chiefs might be left with few options to pick from if they are looking at a South African coach.

Rulani Mokwena gone

Former Mamelodi Sundowns and Wydad Athletic coach Rulani Mokwena has been widely linked to the Chiefs job but now that is water under the bridge as he left Algerian giants MC Alger at the weekend and took up a new job as the boss of big-spending Libyan outfit Al-Ittihad Tripoli.

That rules him out of the running for the Chiefs job as it would be shocking to quit Al-Ittihad a couple of months after signing a lucrative deal, rumoured to be worth R1.7 million a month, while Amakhsoi might not afford to buy him out of his contract.

Pitso Mosimane not interested

Another Sundowns coach in veteran Pitso Mosimane has never ruled out coaching Chiefs but he has been categorical that only the Bafana Bafana job ticks his fancy.

It means Mosimane would be hesitant to begin talks with Chiefs when the Bafana job will be vacant after the World Cup and he is among the leading contenders to replace Hugo Broos.

Benni McCarthy not ready

Meanwhile, Bafana Bafana legend Benni McCarthy revealed early this month that he dreams of the Chiefs job but this year could come too soon.

This is because McCarthy is committed to his project as Kenya national team coach and wants to lead the East Africans to the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations.

While he wants the Chiefs role, McCarthy is looking at after AFCON 2027, which will be after the 2026-27 season when the Glamour Boys need a new coach in mid-this year.

Who could Kaizer Chiefs turn to?

With such limited options, Chiefs might have to look at other coaches and Golden Arrows’ Manqoba Mngqithi, who has admitted before that he rejected them, could be a potential candidate or Sekhukhune United’s Eric Tinker.

Otherwise, Chiefs look likely to go for a foreign coach again, with ex-TS Galaxy and now CR Belouizdad boss Sead Ramovic mentioned in recent weeks.

However, an extension of Kaze and Ben Youssef’s stay cannot also be ruled out if they finish third as the club might be persuaded to stick with the ‘devil’ they know for the sake of continuity.

Chiefs have already hinted to this when Sporting Director Kaizer Motaung Jr and football manager Bobby Motaung said that the two were retained because they are aligned with what the club is trying to do.