Kaizer Chiefs’ 10-year trophy drought: Was firing Ernst Middendorp the fatal mistake?

Oh, how Kaizer Chiefs wish they could turn back the hands of time and return to much happier times in 2020.

Remember 2020? Under the tutelage of German tactician Ernst Middendorp, Kaizer Chiefs spent the majority of the season sitting pretty at the top of the league table and were only derailed after the entire world went into lockdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

During the 2019/2020 season, Middendorp’s Amakhosi were at their best. They were winning games left, right, and centre and giving the mighty Mamelodi Sundowns a real run for their money.

Unfortunately, back then, Chiefs were playing a brand of football that their fans have come to call “helicopter football”. It was effective. Chiefs’ creative players — like George Maluleka — sent the ball over the top for Serbian striker Samir Nurkovic, who would either put the ball in the back of the net, or lay it off for the likes of Lebohang Manyama or Leonardo Castro to finish.

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It wasn’t pretty football, but it was doing the job. Chiefs were winning games and were challenging for the title. But, despite the team winning, Chiefs fans often took to social media to complain that the club had lost its identity.

When the league went into hiatus that March due to the pandemic, Chiefs needed to win just three of their remaining eight games to win the title. The way they had been playing before the lockdown, Chiefs fans thought it was in the bag.

But, after losing Maluleka on a free transfer, Chiefs only managed to win just two games, and had to watch Mamelodi Sundowns lift a third straight crown. As a result, Middendorp was ruthlessly fired as he was blamed for the capitulation in the title race.

Since Middendorp’s firing, Kaizer Chiefs have never been the same. In the seasons that have followed, the club have finished 8th, 5th, 5th and 10th and their trophy drought stretches back to their last title win in 2014/2015. As of this year, the mighty Amakhosi have gone 10 years without a trophy.

Chiefs and their fans are probably wondering what would have happened if Middendorp was given another season in charge of the club. Perhaps the team wouldn’t be where they are now, and their trophy drought wouldn’t be going into its tenth year.

One can’t help but wonder if, in their desperation to restore an identity, Chiefs sacrificed the one thing that truly mattered — winning. Since Middendorp’s departure, the club has cycled through coaches, philosophies, and tactics, yet none have brought back the silverware.

Now, a decade without a trophy, Chiefs are stuck in a painful limbo, neither playing the beautiful football their fans long for, nor returning to the gritty effectiveness that once made them title contenders. Maybe it’s time for Amakhosi to stop chasing the past and start building a future — one that balances identity with the ruthless efficiency that made them giants in the first place.

IOL Sport

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