Former Kaizer Chiefs duo set for opposing dugouts as Betway Premiership kicks off

Durban City coach Khalil Ben Youssef says friendship will be put aside when he goes head-to-head with former Kaizer Chiefs colleague Cedric Kaze in the opening round of the Betway Premiership on Saturday.

Ben Youssef takes his newly assembled Durban City side to Limpopo to face Sekhukhune United at Seshego Stadium in the first match of the 2026/27 campaign, pitting the two ex-Kaizer Chiefs co-coaches against each other for the first time as rivals.

Speaking at the Betway Premiership 2026/27 season launch at Venue Houghton City on Wednesday afternoon, the Tunisian-born coach underlined that professional rivalry will replace past camaraderie once the whistle blows.

“We were working together for the same team. Now it’s a mission where each one of us has to compete and fight for his team,” he said, reflecting on their spell together at Naturena with Kaizer Chiefs.

Ben Youssef: time to show pre-season work

Ben Youssef views the trip to Sekhukhune United as an early opportunity to demonstrate that Durban City’s pre-season preparations have been effective.

“It will be a great game between Durban City and Sekhukhune United. It’s the moment that each one of us has to prove the work that we have done during the pre-season. I hope it will be a great game and people can enjoy it,” he told reporters at the launch event.

The coach, who has recently added former midfielder Musa Nyatama to his backroom staff as an assistant – a move he has previously explained as a key part of his technical planning – is now focused on translating that planning into points on the board.

Saturday’s match will also be one of the first chances for supporters to see some of Durban City’s new signings in competitive action, following the club’s unveiling of several former Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates attackers earlier in the window.

Rivalry rooted in Naturena past

Ben Youssef and Kaze’s shared history at Kaizer Chiefs provides an intriguing subplot to the season’s curtain-raiser. The pair once shared responsibilities in the same technical area at Naturena, but now find themselves tasked with delivering success for different clubs in the Betway Premiership.

While both coaches have spoken previously about their time together, Ben Youssef was keen on Wednesday to frame this meeting purely in competitive terms, emphasising that the focus is on their current employers rather than on nostalgia.

Stage set in Limpopo

Durban City’s journey to Limpopo for the clash at Seshego Stadium will mark their first test under Ben Youssef in this Betway Premiership season, with Sekhukhune United providing a stern opening examination under Kaze’s guidance.

The fixture forms part of a wider programme of matches that will begin to shape the early narrative of the 2026/27 campaign across South African football, with clubs such as Kaizer Chiefs, AmaZulu and Mamelodi Sundowns also preparing for what lies ahead in domestic and continental competition.

Saturday’s encounter between Sekhukhune United and Durban City, however, will carry an added layer of intrigue, as two coaches who once shared a technical area now look to outwit one another in pursuit of a winning start.