Kaizer Chiefs football manager Bobby Motaung has denied any friction with his younger brother, Sporting Director Kaizer Motaung Jr, over their roles at the club. He spoke on Marawa Sportsworldwide amid questions about changes in the club’s leadership.
Motaung said he remains an important part of the football operations. He accepted that his brother now has a more hands-on role in the technical department, as Chiefs modernise their structures.
“We don’t clash. We collaborate, we work together. Everything that we do, decision-making, we are together in terms of giving review and constructive criticism,” he said.
He said disagreements are handled inside the club. “He makes certain decisions which we either support or disagree with. But those are internal operational things that we deal with. But mostly we collaborate, we work together,” he said.
Motaung said the two positions are alike, but the daily work is different. He described his brother’s post as “a similar role with mine, but it’s more in-depth because he is closer to the coaches.”
“I’m more at a high level in terms of overseeing and giving the experience. He’s coming with modern ideology, modern things that I can’t do,” Motaung said.
He said technology is now big in football. “Kaizer is more on the technical aspects of things than myself and he is working closer with the scouts. I’m more of an admin, high-level advisory. He’s more on the technical aspect of the operation,” he said.
According to IOL, the Sporting Director’s duties include working closely with coaches and scouts. Bobby’s focus has moved to administration, oversight and sharing his experience.
The interview also turned to who will one day lead the club. Their father, Kaizer Motaung, is the chairman and still guides the organisation he founded.
Bobby played down talk of an immediate succession arrangement. “Not really, the succession plan will go with time because at the moment we are all trying to find our footing in terms of the brand with the guidance of the chairman,” he said.
He said the club’s future would depend on the work of its current leaders. It would not depend on one person trying to take the chairman’s position.
“If I can say succession plan is Bobby wants to be the chairman, no, no, that won’t be right. The chairman is here. The chairman is still alive,” he said.
Motaung also spoke about the pressure of carrying the club’s legacy. Chiefs was formed in 1970 and is one of South Africa’s most recognisable football institutions.
Source: this article is based on reporting by IOL Sport. Image: IOL Sport. Written with the help of AI and published by the Tzaneen Voice Sports desk. See our Editorial Standards.
Tiyani Mathebula writes about sport for Tzaneen Voice. Tiyani covers Bafana Bafana, the Springboks, the Proteas and the PSL, along with athletics, tennis and local club sport. Match reports and previews focus on results, team news, fixtures and what each game means for South African teams and fans.