Kaizer Chiefs boss Da Cruz urges patience by pointing to Arsenal and PSG

Kaizer Chiefs coach Fernando Da Cruz has called for trust in the club’s long-term project, using the development timelines of Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain to argue that success cannot be achieved immediately.

Da Cruz made the comparison during his pre-match media briefing before Kaizer Chiefs’ Friday CAF Confederation Cup clash. He said both clubs had required significant time to reach the level of success they were targeting.

“Everyone is free to think what they want. The most important thing for us is to be inside the project. And to continue to develop our club. Because we are only focused on that. And one more time, everyone can think what he wants. Everyone is free,” Da Cruz told the media.

The Portuguese coach was defending the process under way at Kaizer Chiefs, where expectations remain high among a demanding support base.

He pointed to Arsenal’s seven-year wait under Mikel Arteta before winning a league title as an example of the patience required to build a successful team.

“I would say that there are clubs like Arsenal, that took 7 years to win a title. There is a club like Paris that took 13 years to win the Champions League,” he said.

Da Cruz also cited Paris Saint-Germain’s 13-year journey to claim back-to-back UEFA Champions League titles. He said the examples showed that a club’s progress depended on maintaining its direction rather than expecting immediate results.

“When you want to develop, when you have a project, it doesn’t happen overnight. It’s not from one day to the other day,” he added.

The comments came as Da Cruz sought to reinforce his belief in Kaizer Chiefs’ development plan, while acknowledging that people would remain free to form their own opinions about the club’s progress.