Why Gavin Hunt was ‘so upset’ by Kaizer Chiefs

Gavin Hunt has revealed that he was furious with Kaizer Chiefs for sacking him before the completion of their 2020/21 CAF Champions League campaign.

Hunt, who recently celebrated his 1000th match in charge of a Premier Soccer League club, had one of his less successful spells as a coach at Amakhosi.

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He joined Chiefs at the start of the 2020/21 season, but was sacked the following May with his side still not completely safe from relegation.

Chiefs’ CAF success

Chiefs were, however, in the semifinals of the Caf Champions League.

I saw the Champions League was a big gap for us,” Hunt said in an interview with iDiski Times.

“We didn’t have the pace, and Champions League football is slow and boring. I felt this team could have a go at it and we got into the semifinals, and I got fired with two matches to go.

“I was so upset about that. If they did not want me the next year, that’s fine. But leave me to finish.”

Arthur Zwane and Dillon Sheppard took over as interim co-head coaches, and while Chiefs got to the Champions League final, they were beaten 3-0 by Egyptian giants Al Ahly.

Hunt also pointed out that he joined Chiefs during Covid and while they were serving a Fifa transfer ban.

“I said to them the team needs an overhaul and if you allow me to do it then it’s the right project for me. They said ‘perfect’. We agreed, ’ Let’s get through this year. And when I looked at it, it was clear the team was really done.”

Hunt believes what he was promisedd by Chiefs is happening now with the squad transformation under Tunisian head coach Nasreddine Nabi.

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‘No bad vibes’

“It’s happening exactly like I said back then and a guy [Nasreddine Nabi] is coming in and saying this and he wants to change everything, the whole team and now they are listening,” said Hunt.

“That was disappointing but no bad vibes and no bad feelings. I was just disappointed I never had a chance to build a team of my own. That wasn’t my team that I coached at Chiefs. It was Ernst’s [Middendorp] team.”