Kaze and Youssef renew rivalry as ex-Kaizer Chiefs assistants collide in Betway Premiership opener

Former Kaizer Chiefs lieutenants Cedric Kaze and Khalil Ben Youssef will face each other as head coaches for the first time on Saturday, when Sekhukhune United host Durban City in the opening round of the Betway Premiership at Seshego Stadium in Polokwane.

The pair, who only a few months ago were plotting opponents’ downfall together as assistants to Nasreddine Nabi at Chiefs, now begin their Premier Soccer League (PSL) campaigns on opposite benches after both were released by the Soweto club at the end of last season.

The fixture list has ensured immediate intrigue, with their first competitive matches in charge coming directly against one another. Yet while the narrative centres on their personal history, both insist the focus must remain on their new teams.

“No emotions because this is part of our job,” said Youssef, speaking at the league’s season launch in Johannesburg on Wednesday. He stressed that the match is about securing a positive start for Durban City rather than any personal subplot with his former colleague.

“It will be a game between Durban City and Sekhukhune United and you win, lose or draw,” he continued. “But if you win, it will not be like you have won a trophy, but it is obvious we need to start the season well. I said before that between 20 and 30 percent is from the coaches and the rest is from the players.”

From close allies to opposing tacticians

Kaze and Youssef have worked together for several years, first at Young Africans in Tanzania and then at Kaizer Chiefs, where they formed part of Nabi’s backroom staff. Their departure from Naturena at the conclusion of last season sent them in different directions, with Kaze joining Sekhukhune United and Youssef heading to the coast to take charge of Durban City.

For Kaze, the reunion will be tinged with sentiment.

“It is true that I have worked with Khalil for many years and we are very close friends. It is going to be an emotional one, but that shows the progression that we have made from assistant coaches to head coaches in the PSL,” he said.

“I am sure the game is going to be entertaining and I am looking forward to it.”

Youssef drawn by Durban City’s ambitions

Youssef revealed he had several options after leaving Chiefs, with multiple PSL clubs making contact, but said Durban City’s project under chairman Farook Kadodia and the chance to compete in continental competition were decisive.

“When I left Chiefs, I was inundated with calls from PSL clubs but I settled for City because I liked the projects of chairman Farook Kadodia and the opportunity of playing in the Confederation Cup,” he explained.

“The other important thing is that the team is playing in the Confederation Cup. I like working for a team that is going to challenge me.

“In their first season in the PSL, they won the Nedbank Cup and finished inside the top eight. There is going to be pressure this season to do better and that is one of the reasons I accepted.”

Kaze backs continuity at Sekhukhune

Kaze believes steady progress at Sekhukhune United in recent seasons means wholesale change is unnecessary as he steps into the role.

“Preparation has been good, we had time to work and put some juice into the players and work on our principles and way of playing,” he said.

“Sekhukhune United is a team that has been consistent over the past few seasons and they finished in the top five for the last two seasons.

“This means there are a lot of things that they have done right. We want to contribute and improve on the things that they have done right.

“The main reason I didn’t change a lot of things is because they are a team that has been doing a lot of things well.”

One of Kaze’s few notable alterations has been the appointment of former Richards Bay coach Papi Zothwane as his assistant, a move he feels will resonate strongly with the dressing room.

“I saw Papi at Richards Bay and I know he was a good player. We want those types of figures to be in our technical set-up. We want coaches who have had success when they were players because the current ones can identify with them,” Kaze said.

“There is a respect when the message comes from him because they know he has done it before.”

While the spotlight will inevitably fall on the touchline duel between two coaches who once sat side by side, both Kaze and Youssef will know that, from Saturday, they will be judged less on their shared past and more on how successfully they can guide their new clubs through a season of heightened expectation at home and, for Durban City, in the Confederation Cup.