I have a cousin in the Eastern Cape who loves Kaizer Chiefs so much that a huge chunk of his salary goes towards activities related to the Soweto club.
He has an insane number of jerseys, tracksuits and other memorabilia, and I don’t think I’ve seen him clad in anything else at weekends. He swore years ago that his children would be Chiefs fans whether they liked it or not and began the indoctrination of his now teenage sons from a young age.
The boys never stood a chance and he made sure the decision was taken for them while they were still in preschool. The man religiously attends so many Chiefs home matches in Johannesburg that some of our friends mistakenly assume he resides in the City of Gold.
He spends a small fortune travelling between Mthatha and Johannesburg monthly, and there are times when he returns twice in the same week for big consecutive home matches.
He has missed numerous functions over the years and his family knows better than to schedule events on weekends when Chiefs are playing. He often jokes that Chiefs are his first love and his family comes second. I have realised this is actually not a joke — he means it.
His wife was the happiest person in the Eastern Cape when the government announced in 2020 that fans would be barred from attending live sports events as a response to the coronavirus pandemic.
But her joy was short-lived as the man now spends a lot of time plonked in front of the television and hurling abuse at the screen. She is an unwilling witness to the abuse that would otherwise be reserved for the stands in the stadium and has now taken to avoiding her own living room on match days.
Great expectations
The last year has been particularly hard on her as Chiefs are struggling, and even the arrival of coach Stuart Baxter in May has done very little to halt their slide. Amakhosi are a shadow of their former self and continue to limp from one poor result to the next almost weekly.
Baxter was the last coach to lead the club to silverware almost a decade ago and his return to Naturena in May was expected to cure the ills of last season under Gavin Hunt. Hunt may have moved to Chippa United after his sacking, but Chiefs remain a team in distress.
The season is only five games old and yet the Briton is already under considerable pressure. His decisions continue to be dissected to the moon and back after every game, and the ranks of those who applauded and celebrated his arrival are starting to diminish with each passing game.
The embarrassing 4-1 defeat to newcomers Royal AM at home last week was the last straw for some and the coach finds himself with his back against the wall again.
More goals
Royal were supposed to roll over and play dead at Chiefs’ feet, especially at FNB Stadium, and that the upstarts humiliated Chiefs so emphatically in their own back yard is a bitter pill to swallow for even the most patient supporters.
Royal gave the impression they would have scored more goals had the referee given them more time.
Sunday’s goalless draw with Marumo Gallants highlighted Chiefs’ many shortcomings and will have alarmed even the most optimistic fans.
Baxter has a lot to think about in the coming days, and with tough matches against Benni McCarthy’s AmaZulu on Saturday, Chippa on Wednesday next week (Hunt must be looking to this one as it offers him a chance to teach his former employers a lesson), Supersport United on October 24, Stellenbosch on November 2 and Orlando Pirates on November 6, he will need to rediscover his mojo urgently to rebuff those who want him gone.
My cousin’s wife possesses at best only a passing interest in sport but I suspect she will be heavily invested in the outcome of these matches for her own peace of mind.
• Follow Ntloko on Twitter at @ntlokom
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