Kaizer Chiefs ‘run like a European club’ - Paintsil makes big claim, but why isn't it working?

• Paintsil boldly suggested that Chiefs are in the league of European sides

• Former Ghana full-back alluded to the club’s ‘top’ structures & facilities

• Amakhosi have not looked like a top side since winning the PSL in 2015

WHAT HAPPENED? Paintsil, who worked as an assistant coach to Steve Komphela at Chiefs, praised the professional way the club is run, comparing them to European sides.

The 41-year-old former Maritzburg United defender worked under Komphela in 2016 and was left impressed by the structures and facilities at Naturena which he feels are as good as what is found at some of the world’s top clubs.

Paintsil’s sentiments are somewhat ironical given the Glamour Boys have not won a trophy in the last seven years with already furious and tired supporters calling for a change in the dugout and the boardroom.

Chiefs have looked anything but a team that are well run and with top facilities at their disposal since winning the PSL title in 2015, flattering to deceive on the pitch, while Mamelodi Sundowns win title after another.

This season is not different with three successive defeats leaving them sixth on the log, 25 points behind Sundowns, even if the Brazilians have played two games more.

WHAT DID HE SAY? “I know Kaizer Chiefs is one of the biggest clubs in Africa. I respect them, I admire them so much, and how they run the club,” Paintsil told iDiski Times.

“You know, when you clean your house, everybody wants to come there and eat, that is Kaizer Chiefs. They are very clean, they are very tough and professionalism is key to them.

“I think for me, when you count European clubs, count Kaizer Chiefs too, because their set up, corporates, infrastructure and so many things I can’t mention.

“I recently watched the game that they lost to AmaZulu and I was thinking to myself that, oh unlucky, they were unlucky. Kaizer Chiefs is one of the clubs that even a heavy defeat, won’t push them down because they are always professionals.”

THE BIGGER PICTURE: Chiefs’ scattergun approach to transfers has left them playing catch up with some of their rivals, especially Sundowns.

The Glamour Boys exemplified this at the end of last season when they let go several players in a bid to freshen up the team but still started the current campaign with gaping holes in the squad.

It has come to bite them during the season with inconsistencies slowing Arthur Zwane’s charges, to the disappointment of supporters who feel the club’s stance that they are ‘building for the future’ is an excuse to cover their flaws in the transfer market.

WHAT’S NEXT? Chiefs have turned focus to qualifying for the Caf Champions League and host Royal AM in their next league match on Sunday, seeking to end their three-math losing run.