Brian Baloyi supports Hanisi Mayo in striving to justify Kaizer Chiefs' trust after permanent transfer

The Kaizer Chiefs team will return to action in the Betway Premiership against Sekhukhune United on Wednesday. This match features an intriguing plot involving former coach Cedric Khase.

Khase returns to this arena just a few months after leaving the Chiefs squad, now leading Sekhukhune and aiming to maintain a perfect start for his team in the championship. This Burundian coach was previously part of the Chiefs technical staff last season, leaving at the end of the 2025/26 campaign.

He has now returned to Johannesburg with Sekhukhune, where he has already secured a league victory over Durban City, and subsequently guided the team into the MTN8 semi-finals after defeating AmaZulu.

Club Situation

Meanwhile, Chiefs must quickly recover from their disappointment in the MTN8 tournament. Amakhosi lost to Golden Arrows at the FNB stadium on Sunday, ending their hopes of winning the trophy after returning to competition after two years away.

Defender Riv Froesler admitted the loss was unpleasant but stressed that Chiefs cannot afford to dwell on it. He stated: "Losing the MTN8 game was not ideal, but we must move on to the next match; we still have another chance to get there and do what we need to do, and try to achieve a positive result."

At the start of the Betway Premiership season, Chiefs won 3-1 against the newly promoted Kruger United; goals were scored by Vandile Dube, who scored twice after coming off the bench, and Flavio Da Silva.

Froesler believes that the focus now must be on improvements, rather than letting the weekend's failure undermine the start of the league campaign. He added: "We are disappointed, but we must look ahead to Sekhukhune, and then to another big match this weekend, but focus on the next one and improve what we need to."

This match takes place during a period of high workload for Fernando Da Cruz's team, which plays three matches in six days. One commentator noted that negative feedback is understandable but insisted on the need for patience with the coach and players, as a long season lies ahead.

Da Silva's availability remains uncertain, as the coach reported his injury during training, while Ethan Chislett rested from the match against Arrows so the team could manage its load. New player Langelihle Phili also debuted against Arrows, although Da Cruz indicated that the winger is not yet fully ready and requires a cautious approach.

Before the match against Mamelodi Sundowns this weekend, Chiefs must find a balance between player recovery and maintaining momentum. For Khase, Wednesday presents an opportunity to utilize his knowledge of the Chiefs squad and achieve another important result for Sekhukhune.

However, Chiefs hope that familiarity with the environment will work in their favor as they try to turn Sunday's disappointment into a positive response. Both teams won their opening league matches, but Chiefs enter Wednesday with a greater sense of urgency. A win would help restore momentum and ensure that the exit from MTN8 does not overshadow a promising start to the league campaign.

Despite the South African national team (Bafana Bafana) qualifying for two consecutive Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournaments and appearing in the FIFA World Cup for the first time in 16 years, there is a prevailing opinion among fans that the team should aim for victory at AFCON 2027. However, some prominent footballers hold a different view.

Brian Baloyi, one of Mzansi's most respected former players, believes that demanding the new Bafana Bafana coach win the title at AFCON 2027 would be an excessive request. It is expected that Pitso Mosimane's appointment as the new Bafana Bafana coach, replacing Hugo Bruus whose five-year contract ended on July 31st, will be officially announced this week.

In an exclusive interview with IOL Sports, Baloyi stated that winning AFCON 2027 would be too ambitious a goal. He noted that, in his opinion, the new coach would not be able to build upon the legacy left by Hugo Bruus. Baloyi questioned what exactly Bruus left behind and what system he built.

Baloyi emphasized that when building a system, it must be ready for anyone who takes the position. In his view, the new mentor will have to start from scratch.

This happens despite the fact that

Although Bruus secured the team's participation in two AFCONs and qualification for the World Cup playoffs, he left a squad composed of young players who are predicted to play professionally for more than ten years. Nevertheless, Baloyi believes that by demanding the new coach continue Bruus's success, they ignore the lack of any system or playing style upon which further work could be built. They will be forced to create their own philosophy from scratch, which, according to him, is one of South Africa's main problems.

He noted that this problem is visible at the club level as well: there is no unified trusted playing philosophy. Every arriving coach is forced to implement their own. For Baloyi, the key point is that the national coach must leave a legacy, focusing not only on the national team but also on developing coaches from youth academies to form a national playing philosophy.

Discussions about a national playing philosophy are not new. This topic has received sufficient coverage that policies such as Vision 2022 were developed, which aimed to achieve coaching consistency: the Bafana coach was supposed to receive support from the U-23 coach, who in turn would assist the U-20 mentor, and the U-20 coach would assist the U-17 coach.

However, this failed to solve the main problem identified by Baloyi. He described the current situation in South Africa as a 'free-for-all'. According to him, there are many academies, and everyone can start teaching their own style—some prefer English football, others German, leading to chaos.

Baloyi insists on the need for a technical director who will establish unified rules: 'You do not have the right to come and teach your own way. This is how children should be taught to play in this country. This is how children develop,' so that everyone who joins the national team can rely on this foundation.

Brian Baloyi, former goalkeeper for the Bafana Bafana team and ambassador for Hollywoodbets Super League, told IOL Sport exclusively that the players understand the significance of the upcoming match.

Banyana Banyana will face its toughest test in the WAFCON campaign, playing a quarter-final match against the Moroccan hosts in Rabat on Saturday evening. This match is of huge importance as it determines their place in the semi-finals and qualification for the 2027 Women's World Cup.

The Banyana team reached the final eight after defeating Burkina Faso in the last Group B match, which gave the team under Desiré Ellis the necessary momentum heading into the playoffs. However, the start of the tournament was difficult: South Africa lost to Tanzania 2-1, and then managed to bounce back to draw 2-2 with Costa de Mar. The victory over Burkina Faso allowed them to advance to the quarter-finals and meet the host nation.

Baloyi believes that despite the match against the hosts not being easy, South Africa has enough quality to achieve a major upset and eliminate their opponents.

WAFCON EXCLUSIVE

For Banyana, the task will be to demonstrate another disciplined match while correcting the shortcomings shown in the group stage. Although the victory over Burkina Faso was encouraging, Morocco represents a significantly higher level of pressure and intensity expected in the playoffs.

Baloyi believes that the responsibility lies with Ellis and her decisions made before the game. He emphasized that Banyana must show its best level, starting with the coach's selection and the optimal squad composition for this match. Player selection will be critical, as Ellis must find a balance between experience and energy when facing the Moroccan team, which will be supported by a passionate home crowd.

Furthermore, Banyana must become more effective in attack while remaining compact when Morocco tries to put pressure on them. A win against Morocco guarantees a trip to Brazil. Reaching the final will secure South Africa's qualification for the 2027 Women's World Cup, making Saturday's encounter one of the most important for the current generation of Banyana players.