Ntseki begins life at Chiefs: 'I'm very happy to be part of the Motaungs because I'm on top of the mountain'

A jovial Molefi Ntseki says as part of the Motaung clan‚ joining the Kaizer Chiefs family was like being on top of a mountain.

Ntseki was announced as the new Chiefs head of technical and youth development academy on Monday on a three-year deal with an option to renew for two more years.

“Look‚ as Africans we have got the big five and part of the big five is the Motaungs. I think me being a Motaung‚ and being a Motaung wa Ramokhele‚ I am Molefi Ntseki‚ Motaung wa Ramokhele‚” said the 51-year-old Free State-born coach.

“I am very happy to be part of the Motaungs because I am on top of the mountain.

“And I think being on top of the mountain means I can see the whole world and the opportunity that has been given to me by the Motaungs is to say to all the Motaungs wherever they are‚ I am here to represent the Motaungs as part of the Motaung wa Ramokhele to say‚ let us take the team forward and to the next level.

“It is an opportunity that has been given to me and I think I believe I will do my best for the club.

"To all the Motaungs I really want to say thank you for welcoming me to this big brand.”

Ntseki officially started his job on Tuesday and immediately rolled out details around what will be his working model‚ and what this new role within the Amakhosi institution entails.

He will work with all the members of the senior team and also oversee the club’s development academy and scouting department.

“Firstly I think it starts with grassroots‚ the development‚ progression and placement of players up to the senior team‚” said the former Bafana Bafana coach.

“I think the most important thing is for us to understand the culture and philosophy of the club and that has to be inculcated in the younger players.

“When you go out to scout and to identify talent‚ the most important thing is that the talent that you identify must also identify with the brand.

“That means it is not only about talent but also about the personality because Kaizer Chiefs is not only about talent‚ it is about the personality that you bring into the club.”

Ntseki's other responsibilities include upskilling‚ mentoring and training coaches.

“The coaches that we will be recruiting or the coaches that are currently within the team‚ it also has to do with the personality and the qualification‚ knowledge‚ the creativity and the understanding of Kaizer Chiefs and its culture and its philosophy.

“So when you recruit players‚ when you help to discover talent for the club‚ taking them through processes in terms of the player development‚ it has to be in line with the current trends in football.

“When a player is promoted to the first team‚ he must be able to handle the pressure that comes with it.

“You will be playing for a very big brand and you will be playing for a club that has got millions of supporters‚ and the stress and the demands are very huge.

“So it is very important for us not just to identify talent but also the personality.

“We want to build the personality of a Kaizer Chiefs player‚ the personality of a winner‚ and that has to start from the youth development moving into the different age groups‚ the MDC and the senior team.

“So those will be very key in terms of who do you bring in as a player‚ what talent he has got‚ what personality are you building in that player that will suit him with the Kaizer Chiefs culture.

“Also the type of coaches we have at the club will also be very important because everybody has to have the buy in‚ a buy in into the objectives of the club‚ a buy in into what the club wants to achieve and in terms of projecting the future for the club.”