He will be the 11th permanent head coach appointment at the side in the last 11 years, which is not a great look for the club and one of the reasons why they have claimed a single trophy in that time.
We look back at the last 10 appointments by Amakhosi and how they worked out.
STEVE KOMPHELA
Spell: June 2015-April 2018
He had a tough act to follow after Stuart Baxter had claimed two league titles in three years and with an ageing team that was in transition. It did not work out as he failed to claim a trophy and his best finish in the league was fourth. He left months before his three-year contract was up after a semi-final loss to Free State Stars in the Nedbank Cup saw crowd trouble in Durban and he quit on the spot.
GIOVANNI SOLINAS
Spell: July 2018-December 2018
The unheralded Italian was a shock appointment at the start of the 2018-19 campaign and immediately looked out of his depth. It was only in the sixth league game of the season against Bloemfontein Celtic that Solinas got his first league win, and he was knocked out of the MTN8 and Telkom Knockout at the semi-final stage. The final straw was losing to tiny Zanzibar side Zimamoto in the CAF Confederation Cup.
ERNST MIDDENDORP
Spell: December 2018-September 2020
The German coach was back for a second spell in charge and took Chiefs close to the league title in the COVID-19-affected 2019-20 season. They went into the Gauteng ‘bio-bubble’ with a commanding lead in the title race but, after a five-month break in the campaign, failed to fire. They lost the title on the final day of the season when they were held to a 1-1 draw by relegation-threatened Baroka FC. He left shortly afterwards.
Spell: September 2020-May 2021
Hunt proved a massive disappointment given his trophy-winning record, with Chiefs officials saying he did not apply himself hard enough and spent as little time as he needed to at training. He did have to contend with a FIFA ban on transfers but still had a decent squad to work with. He was fired before the campaign was up, despite getting the club to the semi-final stage of the African Champions League.
STUART BAXTER
Spell: June 2021-April 2022
Baxter came back for a second spell after the success of his first stint but was not able to recapture the same success, not managing to even see out a single season. The simple truth is he did not have the calibre of player from the first spell, but also did not help himself with some strange decisions.
ARTHUR ZWANE
Spell: April 2022-June 2023
After a succession of foreign coaches, it was decided to go local again and club stalwart Zwane was promoted from assistant to take over. He essentially had one season in charge, in which the club finished fifth, three points fewer than under Baxter. It all suggested stagnation and he was replaced.
MOLEFI NTSEKI
Spell: June 2023-October 2023
Former Bafana Bafana coach Ntseki had been brought in as a technical director and took over the head coach reins, but it proved short-lived as he lasted a matter of months. His 13 games in charge provided just four wins and he was sacked after a loss to AmaZulu in the Carling Knockout first round.
CAVIN JOHNSON
Spell: October 2023-June 2024
Johnson was an emergency replacement after Ntseki’s firing as he moved from head of youth at Chiefs to the first team. He had taken Platinum Stars to second place in the league previously but his seven months at Chiefs were underwhelming. Chiefs finished in an all-time low 10th place, on the back of constant line-up changes and bewildering tactics.
NASREDDINE NABI
Spell: July 2024-October 2025
The Tunisian came in with big expectations, but after a season in which the side finished ninth in the league, was saved from the immediate axe by a triumph in the Nedbank Cup, the club’s first trophy in a decade. However, he did not last long into the new campaign and, after a poor start, was sacked.
CEDRIC KAZE & KHALIL BEN YOUSSEF
Spell: October 2025-May 2026
The pair were elevated from assistant coaches under Nabi to the hotseat and took the side to third place in the league. The football was a bit better than in previous seasons, but they were still some way off the top two and the duo were released. Kaze has since joined Sekhukhune United and Ben Youssef is the new coach of Durban City.