Kaizer Chiefs respond to supporters’ memorandum of demands

Kaizer Chiefs have officially responded to the memorandum of demands handed in by the club supporters on 14 May 2021.

A section of Amakhosi fans marched to Naturena to demand among other things, a change in the recruitment policy.

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The supporters also demanded Chiefs to assemble a competent technical team that will ensure the team plays with flair and win matches.

Furthermore, one of the 12 points listed in the memorandum was demanding the club to get rid of players who are in the twilight of their careers in an attempt to give the younger ones a chance.

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AMAKHOSI’S RESPONSE IN FULL

May 14, 2021 our supporters demonstrated unity, loyalty, passion, in their march to the Kaizer Chiefs Village. We appreciate the spirit of Love & Peace and the level of discipline and respect shown by those who took part on the day.

We respect and value your right to express your views as well as your right to be heard. We know that some of the sentiments presented in the Supporters’ Memorandum are felt by many of our supporters. Not only by those who marched to the Village but also by those who have engaged us on various platforms and through other structures to express their viewpoints.

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The contents of the memorandum have received due consideration and have been reviewed and discussed extensively in the Organisation.

On the 16^th of May 2021, Kaizer Chiefs acknowledged receiving the memorandum and published it and the speech delivered by Jessica Motaung, Marketing Director of Kaizer Chiefs on our social media platforms.

Kaizer Chiefs has always had a big local and global vision and continues to work closely to realise this. It is important for supporters to know that while the last few seasons have presented certain challenges, our actions are always in the best interest of the Club and our primary objectives are to continue building a world class team that plays great football and striving for glory.

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The Club has made changes and plans that correlate to some of the points presented in the document and we feel that these interventions have and will address several of your concerns. Other changes will take much longer to realize.

Point 1

The Club has been built on a legacy of over 50 years and our identity remains strong and is critical to maintain. The disappointing results of the last few years have been of deep concern to the Club.

Modern football is a dynamic and fast changing environment, and Kaizer Chiefs will continue to ensure that our technical team is equipped with the most advanced expertise and skills.

The club has been working on restructuring the institution’s football and technical operations to ensure that our identity and philosophy are consolidated, preserved, and strengthened.

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It is critical to maintaining the link between the Academy and the first team and that they are aligned with the Kaizer Chiefs values, ethos, and traditions.

As the Chairman said in the announcement made on the 31st of May 2021, we want to make progress in the way we run our football and technical operations across all levels. It is important that we keep the Chiefs DNA intact and achieve uniformity.

Point 2

After the Chairman’s statement of the 10^th of April 2018, Kaizer Chiefs made significant changes, including promoting several extremely talented Youth Development players who have shown their talent and class. These changes resulted in the team qualifying for CAF. Our successful campaign into the rest of the African continent has significantly boosted our morale and has been a highlight of the 2020 / 2021 season.

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We will continue to work to secure quality players and build depth. We also commit to continue with our successful programme of promoting talent from within our Youth Development structures, mentored by the more experienced players.

There are steps that have been taken to ensure that a strong foundation has been laid that will showcase a dynamic and young Kaizer Chiefs – a Kaizer Chiefs not only for today but also for the future.

Our approach is focused on giving us a competitive edge.

Point 3

We remain focused on our CAF Champions League ambition and our strategy is to continue delivering positive results. Being the only Club from Southern Africa remaining in the competition reaffirms our vision which includes success on the Africa continent and the world.

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This is an ambition that was first set-out by the Chairman in 2002 when Kaizer Chiefs was voted as the African Club of the year after winning the CAF Cup Winners Cup competition (Mandela Cup).

Point 4

Over the years, Kaizer Chiefs has developed and nurtured strong, healthy, and cooperative relationships with all football bodies and our competitors. We are fortunate that our Chairman has been instrumental in developing the football league and is a founding father of the NSL and PSL and has work extensively with CAF and FIFA.

We continue to foster and grow these relationships as they are key for the wellbeing of the sport.

We are also proud that some members of our administration and technical team have also contribute at these levels.

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We will maintain collaboration while remaining competitive.

Point 5

We are committed to well-defined network of scouts across the country and the world. We recently appointed Head of Technical and Youth Development who together with his team will be custodians of our football philosophy. His role will be to champion this important mission.

Scouting is a multi-pronged approach as it prioritizes developing our own talent from a young age, but also actively seeking to identify players from other clubs who have potential to contribute towards the Club’s culture and success.

Point 6

We are happy with the results of our DStv Diski Challenge (DDC) campaign this season. The reserve team continues to make progress in the league, and we look forward to an even better outcome next season. We believe that Coach Arthur Zwane and the Youth Development team are doing a sterling job.

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In recent times the DDC has been instrumental in giving young players real experience.  It has produced some incredible talent who have been selected to represent in the national under 17, 20 and 23 teams. Kaizer Chiefs reserves (MDC) won the inaugural Diski Shield in 2018.

Wiseman Meyiwa was selected for both the FIFA under 17 in 2015 and under 20 in 2017 World Cup tournaments. He was also the youngest player ever to score for the Kaizer Chiefs first team.

Njabulo Blom, Bruce Bvuma, Siyabonga Ngezana, Happy Mashiane, Siphosakhe Nitya-Nitya, Nkosingiphile Ngcobo (CAF best XI in 2019), Sabelo Radebe, are just some players who have gone on to enjoy successful careers in recent times.

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Not forgetting Hendrick Ekstein and Lorenzo Gordinho who are both playing overseas.

More results of our development efforts can be seen on pitches across the country.

In the recent quarterfinal of the CAF Champions League, we had no less than 5 players who come from our development structures in the team.

The DDC remains one of the most important sources for recruiting players for our own first team.

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Point 7

Women’s football is most certainly part of the Club strategy. There are many building blocks that need to be established to ensure that there is a solid basis to support this initiative.  The establishment of a professional league is critical to the interest from corporate South Africa for sponsorship and the growth of a supporter base.

The club’s Marketing Director, Jessica Motaung, was part of the team that helped draft the strategy for CAF to develop women’s football on the continent and this is an indication of our intention to play a role in this exciting development.

Point 8

All engagements with our supporters are important to our Club. The Chairman engages with the supporters on various platforms, he always ‘listens’ and observes our social media channels with a keen interest. The Club does have several spokespeople who are responsible for communicating to our stakeholders.

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Consideration will be given to reviving some of the aspects of the Chairman’s direct communications channels.

Point 9

Football will always be our core focus however other functions such as Marketing, Retail, Finance, IT, and HR are key to the successful management of the Club.

The Club has commitments and obligations to fulfill to the sponsors, stakeholders, players, staff, and supporters.  We believe in good corporate governance and maintaining a high level of professionalism across the board.

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We will continue to fulfil on this mandate while we work collaboratively to support the performance on the pitch.

Point 10

Kaizer Chiefs is a big institution. Under our Executive Chairman, the Club has grown into what it is today. His leadership is exemplary, and he continues to guide the structures along with the help of an experienced board of directors and management team.

The corporate structure and needs of the Club are best determined by this executive mechanism.

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We remain future focused and will evolve the structures to address the ever-changing needs of the organisation.

Point 11

The supporter’s membership card was put on hold with the intention of improving the offering. We have delayed in our efforts of finding a suitable solution.

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Kaizer Chiefs is committed to reinstating a membership card and we will continue to collaborate with all supporters (both individuals and those who form part of our branches) to ensure that we have a card to unite us all, delivers values, which evolves and grows over time.

Point 12

We are proud of our legends and former players and continue to engage them at various levels. They are our heroes and have contributed to making this Club what it is today.  Our legends and past players command the greatest of respect and are close to our hearts.  We are truly grateful for their contribution.

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We continue to enhance our interaction with them. We actively document their stories and have engaged them as ambassadors of the Club at countless events and special occasions.

We will continue to look at ways of honouring our legends and involving them in many of our activities.

Supporters are a big part of honouring our legends and we will always rely on you to help celebrate their legacy with us.

In closing, your support and feedback are invaluable to the Club, it is in keeping with our ethos and aspirations.

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There are so many channels that supporters can use to actively engage with the Club, and we encourage you to do just that.  At the same time, we resolve to continue improving our communication with supporters.

We find ourselves living in abnormal times and Covid-19 has created some distance between us, which is undesirable. We urge our supporters to continue to engage on all social media platforms, email, face-to-face interaction (where possible) and phone calls to the head office.

We are here to listen!

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We encourage you to ask the tough questions, keep the passion alive and remain at the center of the heart and soul of Kaizer Chiefs.

As a top Club with a proud and glorious history, we recognize our responsibility to live up to the great traditions and values that have been created over the last 51 years.

We remain mindful of who we are and look forward to creating a new history of success.