Fernando da Cruz Reacts to Kaizer Chiefs' Decision Amid Calls for His Dismissal From Fans
JOHANNESBURG — Kaizer Chiefs head coach Fernando da Cruz has publicly expressed gratitude to Sporting Director Kaizer Motaung Jr and the club's board after they issued a statement of support in the wake of Amakhosi's elimination from the CAF Confederation Cup.
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The backing came amid mounting scrutiny over the team's continental performances. Da Cruz moved quickly to clarify that the club's confidence in him was not a reaction to any single result, but rather reflected an ongoing and structured relationship between the technical staff and management.
**Da Cruz on His Working Relationship With Motaung Jr**
The French coach disclosed that he and Motaung Jr hold formal review meetings every three weeks to assess the squad and evaluate progress against the club's objectives.
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"First thing I would like to thank the club for the statement, I would like to thank the Sporting Director and the whole board for the statement they made," Da Cruz said.
"And then you must know, it's very clear, inside the club, every three weeks, we have a meeting with the Sporting Director to speak about the team and the project of the club. The confidence he's given us is very important for the daily work that we do, where even if we win, draw or lose, we need to analyse the situation very well."
Da Cruz was candid about his own self-assessment, noting that a single poor result could not fairly define a coach's capability. He argued that the process of continuous improvement mattered more than individual outcomes.
"In our meeting we always speak to improve the team every day, and today I'm not a better coach than last week just before we were eliminated from the CAF Confederation Cup," he added. "The board is there and the Sporting Director is there every day to see the commitment of the staff and the entire technical staff."
**Injuries a Key Factor for Amakhosi**
Da Cruz also pointed to a run of contact injuries as a significant factor behind the club's struggles in recent weeks, saying the team had been unfortunate in matches they felt they deserved to win.
"When we analyse the situation you can see we have been unlucky because during all our draws that we made, we deserved to win. In terms of injuries, we have been very unlucky, we have many injured with contact injuries, so we're very unlucky related to that," he said.
Despite the turbulence, Kaizer Chiefs responded positively on Tuesday with a commanding 3-0 victory over TS Galaxy in their Carling Knockout Cup Last-16 fixture. Wandile Duba marked the occasion by scoring his first senior career hat-trick, providing a timely boost to the squad's confidence.
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Source: Briefly News
