Kaizer Chiefs coach Arthur Zwane says he has been waiting for the moment to be able to lead the club to silverware for almost two decades.
The moment is certainly right for the Vodacom-sponsored club to reward their fans with silverware for the first time in eight years, as they look to overcome one more hurdle in a semi-final against Orlando Pirates on their journey to Nedbank Cup glory.
There is certainly a sense of destiny building towards Saturday’s Soweto Derby at the FNB Stadium, where a victory would make Zwane the most successful South African coach in the last three decades of Derby history with three victories.
But it goes beyond this for the man, who has done everything and given everything to reach this point in his coaching career.
“I’ve been preparing myself for this. In 2006 I said in an interview that one day I will coach Kaizer Chiefs. At the time people thought I was dreaming, but it’s good to dream and to also be a man of action,” said Zwane at a Vodacom event.
“Even when I worked with the development players, I used to remind them that one day I will be the head coach of Kaizer Chiefs, and it’s up to them if they want to come with me or not.
“I knew I was going to be the head coach of Kaizer Chiefs, and be successful. The management put their faith in me. My dream came true. So it’s now up to me to ensure we do the right thing, and that’s to turn things around.”
The chance to reach personal coaching milestones with Saturday’s game is not lost on Zwane.
“This is one game you can’t easily get used to. It comes with a lot of responsibility. There is a lot at stake. But to maybe be the most successful South African coach in the Soweto Derby puts a smile on my face, especially when I think about the history of this club,” he said.
But Nedbank Cup glory is also important to Zwane for the impact he believes it will have on some of his young players.
“For the players who are new in this team and who are not used to winning cups, I want them to experience that feeling and to understand what Kaizer Chiefs is all about,” he revealed.
“It would be great for those players to lift a trophy in their first season. So it’s very important for us to get to the final and win it.”
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Zwane won this cup against Pirates in the 2005/06 season, where they got over the line on penalties, beating their rivals by 5-3 under Ernst Middendorp when this competition was known as Coca-Cola Cup.
