It can’t really be disputed unless you’re an Orlando Pirates fan, Kaizer Chiefs are the most popular soccer team in South Africa.
In fact, they may be the most popular sports team in South Africa — boasting bigger followings than even the Springboks. The Springboks of course have won the last two Rugby World Cups, while the Chiefs trophy case can no longer be opened for fear of the dust cloud it would emit.
The last time Chiefs won the league in South Africa, Jacob Zuma still had three more years left as President, Heyneke Meyer was the Springbok coach and Stranger Things was yet to debut on Netflix.
That last league success for Chiefs, came in the 2014/2015 season. The next season Bidvest Wits were crowned champions, and the club no longer exists in its original form after selling its top flight status to Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila, who in turn sold their status to Marumo Gallants.
A different world
The point is, the world was rather different the last time a successful Chiefs team was making headlines.
Flash forward to the 2024/2025 Betway Premiership season, and there is talk that Chiefs may once more be genuine title contenders. Last week, Chiefs won their opening game of the season for the first time since their 2019/2020 campaign and on Wednesday they won their second match in a row.
The midweek Chiefs game against AmaZulu at the gigantic Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban was a sold-out affair. Such was the excitement, fans were urged not to come to the stadium if they didn’t have a ticket. And that was after Chiefs won just one match this campaign. One!
That’s quite incredible if you think about it, and keep in mind the Soweto Giants finished 10th in the league last season.
The fact remains, if Chiefs do well — it creates more interest in local football. That can only be a good thing for the sport in South Africa.
If anything, the utter domination of Mamelodi Sundowns as they have won the league for the last seven seasons in a row has been incredible for their club, but not necessarily for interest in the local game.
Even for the neutral, like myself who was a Wits fan while they still existed, it’s good to see Chiefs excelling. And who knows, under new coach Nasreddine Nabi the sky may just be the limit. The AmaKhosi faithful certainly believe it, and who can blame them?