Kaizer Chiefs enjoyed a successful first season under Robaato Rasamu, winning two domestic cups and securing continental football after just missing out on the South African title on the final day of the DStv Premiership.
But there was plenty of deadwood still at the club, as evidenced by Rasamu releasing 16 players and selling midfielder Sabelo Dlamini and underperforming winger Vusimuzi Gwala to Saudi for a combined £650k. That saw him slash another £60k off the wage spend, that’s £80k of his £120k budget saved in a year, and have around £2m to spend.
He moved quickly to put that money to use, signing 10 players as the transfer window opened on 1 July. The pick of them was probably 18-year-old striker Thabang Mashigo for £80k from Cape Town City along with 6ft 5in centre-back Tebogo Ndlela on a free from SuperSport and holding midfielder Tim Davids for £300k from champions AmaTuks. Other signings included left winger Kabelo Isaacs for £65k from TS Galaxy, attacking midfielder Lucky Zondi for £240k from SuperSport, 18-year-old midfielder Khayalethu Mabaso for £31k from TS Galaxy, another 6ft 5in centre-back Craig Sibanyoni for £95k from Golden Arrows and backup goalkeeper Edward Pillay on a free from Mikhado.
Rasamu had more money to spend but struggled to find players worth buying, but he was happy that he’d strengthened with plenty of potential. So with the squad bolstered, he slightly tweaked the 4-4-2 approach he used last season. He dropped one of the strikers into an attacking midfield role with the holding midfielder going more central.
First Taste of African Continental Football
Rasamu’s quest to win his third top-tier continental trophy began in the preliminary round of the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League. For context, no South African side has won the competition during this save or since Sundowns’ title in 2016. And the nation’s only other success was Orlando Pirates in 1995. owever, AmaTuks reached the final in 2033, losing to Wydad Casablance, and Chiefs reached their only final in 2021. Last season, Tunisian side ES Tunis beat Ivorian wonderkid factory ASEC Mimosas in the final.
Chiefs began against South Sudan side Munuki FC and took control in the home leg. Mashigo tapped home inside three minutes and winger Dante Meyer doubled the lead. Mashigo got a second before strikers Themba Baloyi and Percy Mncube also bagged doubles to have Chiefs 7-0 up at half time and they settled for 8-0. Rasamu made 10 changes for the trip to South Sudan and won 5-3 but defended appallingly as promising homegrown striker Thabang Makhetha became the youngest goalscorer in club history aged 17 years 156 days.
That set up a first round tie with Benin side Cotton Football Club de Ouidah. Chiefs got another quick start in the home leg as Mashigo scored two headers in the first 15 minutes before Meyer also bagged a quick brace. Coton got a player sent off for a horror challenge on Mashigo then subbed their goalkeeper and Chiefs took full advantage. Mashigo scored two more, Baloyi notched a perfect hat trick and Mncube, centre back Lungile Smith and Makhetha wrapped up a 12-0 annihilation as they amassed 40 shots and 6.34 xG! That big win was important as they had eight players on international duty for the away leg, which they won 5-0, racking up another 4.92 xG, for a 17-0 aggregate success.
That put Chiefs into the group stage, and they were drawn in Group C alongside Algerian side and 2025 runners-up ES Sétif, Nigerian club Remo Stars and 2033 winners Wydad Casablanca of Morocco. AmaTuks were also in the group stage and got a much easier group with Tunisia’s ES Sahel, Ghana’s Hearts of Oak and Zesco United of Zambia.
The group stage began a couple of months later in early December and Chiefs started at home to Sétif. They started well again as Ndlela headed home a far post corner after 35 seconds, Mashigo repeated the feat four minutes later and that’s how it stayed until Isaacs scored in injury time.
Next up was the toughest game of the group at Wydad Casablanca. The far post corner worked again as Ndlela headed the opener before midfielder Shabalala hit a 25-yard screamer. Casablanca didn’t even have a shot in the first half but scored their first before Ndlela headed another far post corner. And a dominant 3-1 away win over the African champions two seasons ago gave Rasamu hope that maybe, just maybe Chiefs could compete with the best teams on the continent.
They backed that up with a 2-0 win in Nigeria, with Ndlela again scoring from a corner, that near-enough guaranteed qualification already.
Flying Start To DStv Premiership
The big Champions League results gave Chiefs confidence to begin the league season in scintillating form. They won their first seven games, including Meyer’s hat trick defeating AmaZulu 5-2, and new South Africa international Baloyi hit hat tricks to down Casric Stars 3-1 and TS Galaxy 5-1 away. The striker also scored twice in a big win at champions AmaTuks, which took the unbeaten Chiefs eight points clear of Pirates and still undefeated after 17 games.
Chiefs have started this season superbly led by the excellent Baloyi, Mashigo and Meyer. Baloyi, who recently came out as gay, has been lethal, scoring 30 goals in 24 games. While Mashigo has 17 goals and 11 assists in 25 games and Meyer has a club-high 20 assists plus 10 goals in 22 games.
Could Rasamu maintain Chiefs’ strong start to the campaign and push into the latter stages of the African Champions League? Join us on Monday to find out!
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