Chiefs ‘unholy’ war: Ertugral takes on Baxter, Middendorp

Legendary Muhsin Ertuğral has slammed fellow former Kaizer Chiefs coaches Stuart Baxter and Ernst Middendorp for apportioning the South African Premier Soccer League (PSL) team’s struggles on management interference and for branding AmaKhosi as a monster.

In a hard-hitting interview with FARPost during the week, Baxter claimed that his initial tenure with the PSL giants between 2012 and 2015 was a success before he worked independently, but that was not the case in his second homecoming from 2021 to 2022.

“I came in the second time, and it was very unclear. I was getting told which players to buy, who to select, and even how to set up tactically. It was as if I was expected to follow a script written by others. That atmosphere was entirely different from the first time, and it made it impossible to build a winning culture,” he claimed.

Ertuğral challenges Baxter’s allegations

The Englishman summed up Chiefs’ current administrative setup as typical ‘smoke and mirrors’, while also pointing at the effects of ‘constant noise’ as the other detrimental factor.

Baxter’s analysis of the happenings at the Soweto giants came after Middendorp weighed in on the debate suggesting that Chiefs is a monster of a club, hence, those who manage it must have strong mental character to withstand the pressure and get the best from players.

Writing on his LinkedIn page an article titled ‘Kaizer Chiefs is a MONSTER of a CLUB,’ the German insisted that “anyone who wants to coach this team must understand the magnitude of the Naturena environment.

The club carries enormous history, a massive supporter base across the country, constant media attention, and permanent pressure for results. Every decision is discussed publicly; every weakness is quickly and totally exposed.”

Ertuğral responds to Middendorp

However, Ertuğral, writing on his official Facebook page, lambasted his peers for failing to offer constructive criticism, but only seeking to make news by drawing attention to themselves, further challenging Baxter’s notion of noise.

“When a club is hurting like this, when emotions are running high, I struggle to understand the value of former coaches years later to pointing fingers. Kaizer Chiefs is not just a football team.

For millions, it represents memories, pride and identity,” the Turkish-born mentor said. “There real challenges are not the noise outside. The real challenge is the structure inside.”

The former Cape Town City handler then suggested that the real issues with AmaKhosi hinged on restoring club identity, ensuring technical responsibility, ensuring accountability and proper alignment of player recruitment model.

“Great clubs are not monsters,” Ertuğral said in a thin-veiled reference to the German’s remarks. “They are mirrors. They reflect clarity, or the confusion from people they are responsible for guiding the process.

I think and that’s my own opinion, when a club is already hurt, former coaches should be careful not to make themselves the story! The club must remain the story. Kaizer Chiefs does not need more noise.”

Chiefs fans seem to have exhausted their patience with the club’s vicious cycle of mediocrity, they stormed Naturena to vent their anger and frustrations with co-coaches Khalil Ben Youssef and Cedric Kaze, among other issues.

Chiefs are staring the harsh reality of finishing the PSL season without any silverware having exited all domestic cup competitions adding on to the CAF Confederation Cup heartache.