How Did Kaizer Motaung Formed the Most Successful Team in the History of Soccer in SA (Opinion)

“The experience gathered from books, though often valuable, is but the nature of learning whereas the experience gained from actual life is of the nature of wisdom.” by Rene Descartes. The founder of Kaizer Chiefs, Kaizer Motaung through the experience he gained while playing overseas which made him to start one of the successful football clubs in the history of South Africa. Please follow my lead as I narrate how he managed to do that.

He was born in Orlando East section of Soweto. His first stint in professional soccer was at the age of 16 while playing for Orlando Pirates FC. In 1968, he gained entry into International soccer through Atlanta Chiefs. The founder of Atlanta Chiefs Dick Cecil and Phil Woosnam spotted Motaung after Atlanta Chiefs held trials in Zambia. Motaung got recruited on the spot.

He struggled to come to terms with the weather of United States. Moreover he experienced lot of injuries before starting to play. Motaung’s debut for the Atlanta Chiefs came as a substitute in a friendly game against Manchester City. He scored two goals on that match, which made him to gain confidence after experiencing problem of injuries. He continued to play his best football throughout the season. He scored sixteen goals in fifteen matches which made him to be the top goal scorer in the league. On the same season Motaung got voted as the Rookie of the Year and gained a place on the NASL’s all-star team. Again in 1975, Kaizer got another offer to play on the same league Denver Dynamos where he only played for two seasons.

Kaizer Motaung returned to South Africa after spending two years in America. In 1970, he decided to start his own professional soccer team. His newly found team he named it after his first name and the team that he played for in US. There were certain setbacks that hindered Kaizer Chiefs to start playing as the professional team. Some of such setbacks were the opposition from his former club Orlando Pirates; they discouraged him in forming another team in Soweto. The setbacks and opposition did not stop him from fulfilling his dream. His team included the mixture of veterans and talented young players. Soon the club became a force to be afraid of in the league.

Kaizer Chiefs attracted large followers immediately after starting to play. Within the period of short time, his team became the most successful team in South Africa. They have won more than 78 trophies and gaining an estimated fourteen million supporters across South Africa. Above everything, Kaizer Chiefs became the main opponent of Orlando Pirate. Since the formation of Kaizer Chiefs when these two teams meet, the game becomes a do or die issue on both teams. Soweto derby is the most watch game across the continent and the game has also attracted overseas viewers.

Since Kaizer Chiefs supporters are all over the country, soccer lovers have concluded that the team does not play away game because the team’s supporters always outnumber the home team. One of the club major achievements in continental soccer is winning African Cup Winner’s Cup in 2001. Since then the team struggled to win anything but local they have pushed themselves even though in recent seasons the team is not doing well.