Former Kaizer Chiefs head coach Molefi Ntseki has opened up about the attacks he suffered from the club’s fans.
Ntseki parted ways with the club on mutual consent in October after results weren’t coming, a decision that came after three violent incidents at stadiums from the club supporters.
Ntseki was announced as Amakhosi head coach at the beginning of the season having occupied the position of Head of Technical and Youth at the club.
However, he left the head coach position after just 13 matches, where he won four of those, drew three and lost six while exiting two cup competitions the MTN8 and the Carling Knockout.
The former Bafana-Bafana mentor spoke to our senior Writer Velile Mnyandu, in edition 129 of the newspaper.
He reflected extensively on his five months with the Chiefs first team and also how he dealt with being hurled and being thrown at with objects by the fans. Ntseki said growing up and living in a violent South Africa prepared him for what happened at Chiefs.
“I must say my background also helped me to understand difficult situations differently,” Ntseki told iDiski Times.
“I come from the era of champion defence, being some box out of classes, hiding yourself, having to run for your life, and being very close to losing your life.
“So I come from a background of heavy violence where it was black versus black. It was the system versus everybody. So the background that I’ve given you when I joined Chiefs,
“I think it made me more resilient, more resolute, and more positive in believing in the process that we have already started with Kaizer Chiefs.
“Not winning our pre-season games that were on TV, with me having a very clear understanding of what happened to my predecessors.
“I felt we would be able to turn the corner. I need to be a philosopher guy to the players. I need to be a leader to my technical team, make them understand, and make us believe in what we are doing.
“So when it happened for the first time, I was surprised. I was shocked because I did not see it coming, honestly, again because even on the day we had a very good game. We played very well.
“We just made one mistake and we lost. It was a very few number of supporters that were doing that and I felt maybe its supporters, who did not necessarily believe in the decision that was made by the club. And they ventured out the frustration on me as the coach at that time, not necessarily because of a bad performance from the team.
“And the message I got was there was nothing one had to be worried about. It was more of an isolated case. And we need to be positive and be strong in our preparation and to go into the next game.
“The second one was against SuperSport in Polokwane. We also had a very good game, despite the fact that we were trailing. So when it happened with SuperSport it was a little bit more aggressive as compared to the first one.
“And I honestly did not understand why it was happening because it was after a very good performance. I’m the one who was targeted and then there are some things thrown at me when I said maybe it was lack of understanding of this process.
“And in my post-match interviews. I also made it very clear that this is unlike the peaceful loving type of supporters. This was not an isolated case.
“This is what the supporters think of the official as the coach because the same day when that happened, the players left using the same channel, they never said anything to the players but they waited for me and I was isolated from the team.
“When he comes in, that’s when you’re going to show our frustrations, to show our anger. That is how we’re going to show our approval of him being cut off from the team. So it just happened. I always say it happened to the best coaches in the world in South Africa. So if it is happening to me, it is not defined in terms of my qualities as a coach.
You can read Ntseki’s gull interview with Mnyandu in edition 129 available on iDiski Times website.
