Kaizer Chiefs News: Steve Komphela reveals lot work done during stay at Kaizer Chiefs but cub never won trophies
Golden Arrows head coach Steve Komphela has reflected on his three-year stay with Kaizer Chiefs which ended unceremoniously in April 2018.
While Komphela didn’t deliver a single major trophy at Naturena, he is proud of what he achieved at the club – saying he and chairman Kaizer Motaung put in a lot of hard work behind the scenes to make Chiefs a better club.
The 52-year-old mentor lauded Motaung for his patience and understanding of football throughout his journey at Chiefs, but admitted his biggest downfall was the club’s failure to win trophies.
“You know the plan we had and the amount of work we put in there… that’s one thing you talk about when you speak of invisible success,” said Komphela in an interview with Robert Marawa on Marawa.tv.
“There is a lot of stuff that we did but I can’t be here talking [about them]… I try my utmost best to refrain from speaking of the environment where I had worked.
“But one thing I can say about Bab’uMotaung [Kaizer Motaung], he understands the process. He understands the game and he knows exactly what he wants, and he’s got a plan but the biggest challenge you’d have in big institutions like those, you have to deliver a trophy.
“Even though you are working on a plan to unfold, if you don’t deliver a trophy then it messes up everything.
Komphela went further to reveal Motaung’s words that ‘broke’ his heart two years into his three-year contract with the Glamour Boys, saying: “The one thing that he said which broke my heart uBra K – I remember it was my second year [at Chiefs] – where he said, ‘you know Steve, how I wish I was five years younger’.
“Do you know what he was trying to say to me? He said he wanted to build that institution [Chiefs] into something else.
“The likes of Barcelona and Manchester United have systems. Bra K [Motaung] has always wanted to build a system at Chiefs but sometimes [in] building a system, a lot of people get compromised up until the system is standing.”
“But the minute you manage to go through the system and it is standing, then the train just rolls.”
The experienced tactician stated that Amakhosi were on the right track because of the system he and Motaung put in place, but he had to leave the club after being forced out by a section of supporters who invaded the pitch in anger following a Nedbank Cup loss to Free State Stars in Durban.
“Unfortunately, just as we were about… the only thing that we needed to do at Chiefs [was to] win a trophy because the systems that were put in there (sighs)… but I don’t want to look back and start pointing at the invisible success,” added Komphela.
