The hunt for the head coach is over for Kaizer Chiefs Football Club. After much speculation, the Soweto giant finally got its big catch.

Thursday | September 17, 2020

It came as no shock when Gavin Hunt was unveiled as the new Kaizer Chiefs coach on Thursday.

There are few local coaches who are as experienced as him. Hunt became available in the market at end of the season. The status of his former club, Bidvest Wits, has been sold nearly a century since establishment.

He comes to Chiefs who missed out on the Absa Premiership League honours on the last match-day of the season to defending champions Mamelodi Sundowns.

The jaw-dropping slip up resulted in the separation between the German coach Ernst Middendorp and Kaizer Chiefs. Notwithstanding the club’s prestigious history, Middendorp went for a season and a half without a trophy.

Gavin Hunt, 56, has been granted a 3-year deal. Many of his predecessors, including Middendorp, did not see out their contracts to the last syllable in recent seasons at the Naturena-based club.

Amakhosi have tended to wild the axe from one season to the next – even during the season – when things went pear-shape.

A day after Middendorp was fired, Shaun Bartlett, his assistant coach, was shown the door.

Hunt honours

Hunt lifted the league title three times with Super Sport United (2007/08, 2008/09 & 2009/10) and once with Wits (2016/17). 

In the same season with the former, he clinched the MTN8 Cup. The following season, the Cape Tonian took the Telkom Knockout trophy. 

While in the 2011/12 season he bagged the Nedbank Cup with Super Sport United.

With four (4) league titles behind him, it is expected that he might bring back the glory days to the Amakhosi faithful. This last bit will only be absolved by time.