Kaizer Chiefs and Man United are giants of football but have a few alarming things in common. Agree, Amakhosi fans?
Why Kaizer Chiefs are the Man United of South Africa
Massive institutions
Go outside in any major city in the world and you’ll likely see a few people wearing Man United jerseys. 10% of the entire planet supports the Red Devils. Similarly, the streets of South Africa are littered with Amakhosi fans proudly wearing their black & gold merch. Their enormous followings are obvious for all to see. Who HASN’T heard of David Beckham, Sir Alex Ferguson, Doctor Khumalo and Lucas Radebe?
Man United
The Qatari sheikh seeking control of Manchester United is the low-profile son of one of the richest men in the Gulf. Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images
Trophy droughts are too much to tolerate for supporters
United’s last Premier League title win came back in 2012-13, while Chiefs’ last league title and most recent piece of silverware was the 2014-15 campaign. Trophy droughts aren’t acceptable for clubs of their stature, yet here we are. Manchester City continues to dominate English football and winning league titles looks far too easy for Mamelodi Sundowns, what happened to proper rivalries? Two clubs steeped in a rich history of success and silverware are now scraping the bottom of the barrel.
Managerial merry-go-round
With Erik ten Hag sacked and Ruben Amorim now in the hot seat, it’s anybody’s guess how long the 39-year-old Portuguese will last. His most recent result? A 2-3 home defeat to Nottingham Forest. Meanwhile, Chiefs boss Nasreddine Nabi started well but results have dropped off lately; Amakhosi are already 10 points adrift of the title pace after eight games.
Nobody can deny the commercial value and gravitational pull of Kaizer Chiefs and Manchester United. The problem, however, is that they’ve become business entities primarily and the football is a bit of an afterthought. Can the top brass rectify that or is it a long-term problem with no end in sight? More questions than answers.
Closer to the bottom than the top
It’s still early days in 2024-2025, but Chiefs are just six points ahead of rock-bottom Richards Bay. United have played 15 games, almost half the campaign, and languish in 13th place, only 14 points clear of basement side Southampton. The Red Devils’ deficit to leaders and arch-rivals Liverpool is 16.
Do you think this is a fair assessment?
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