Kenny Niemach, the former Kaizer Chiefs striker, talks about the current team's problems!

Kenny Niemach, the former Kaizer Chiefs striker, talks about the current team's problems!

Former Kaizer Chiefs striker Kenny Niemach has issued a searing critique of his old club, pinpointing a deep-rooted identity crisis as the core reason for their prolonged struggles.

The famed Soweto outfit’s last Premier Soccer League (PSL) triumph dates back to 2015, with a decade-long trophy drought only broken by last season's Nedbank Cup win under former coach Nasreddine Nabi. This period has been marked by the stark contrast of rivals Mamelodi Sundowns' domestic dominance—claiming eight consecutive league titles—and Orlando Pirates' established reputation as masters of cup competitions.

The current season has offered little respite. Having missed out on the Carling Knockout Cup and failing to capitalize in their final league matches of the year, Chiefs find themselves in fourth position as they enter the New Year. While they remain mathematically in the title race—trailing leaders Orlando Pirates by four points, with Pirates holding a game in hand—their form has been inconsistent. Hopes now also rest on the Nedbank Cup and the CAF Confederation Cup, though they are still seeking their first win in Group D after two matches.

Despite the club's significant activity in the last transfer window, which saw 11 new arrivals, Niemach believes the issues at Naturena run far deeper than player personnel. With Khalil Ben Youssef and Cedric Kaze now steering the ship as co-coaches following Nabi's unexpected departure, the former striker argues that the problem is foundational.

"Kaizer Chiefs can have an open chequebook, but then it comes back to identity," Niemach stated bluntly in an interview with FARPost. "They need to sit in the boardroom first and ask themselves, 'who are we?'"

He drew a sharp comparison with their biggest rivals: "If you go and ask Sundowns about who they are, they know who they are. Pirates know exactly who they are. Chiefs do not know who they are. You can go buy players all you want—they have seven strikers there. Now, tell me something, how is that going to help you, because already you don’t know who you are?"

Niemach's prescription involves a radical shift towards embracing local football knowledge and structure. He advocates for appointing specialists who understand the club's culture and the South African game.

"There are a lot of factors, a lot of groundwork. Bring in people who are local and understand the local culture and the players’ mentality locally, and not people who don’t understand," he urged.

Elaborating on his vision for a technical team rooted in the club's legacy, he suggested: "Give the locals a chance. Call someone like Doctor Khumalo, Shane McGregor, or Fani Madida, who were great strikers, if you want a striker coach. You bring in Howard Freese and Neil Tovey because they have defensive minds. You bring in Ace Khuse because he is a midfield genius. Now you combine those things."

Pointing to global standards, Niemach questioned the club's current setup: "If you look at any European team, there are four coaches sitting on the bench, and what are we doing? We need to wake up; that’s why we are behind. Even some teams in Africa have four coaches on the bench, and when they come to play us, we look weak."

He concluded with a sobering final thought on the need for honest introspection: "Our problem is that we don’t like the truth. We want to lie to ourselves and talk about flower blossoms. The truth is the truth; we are not going forward."