There’s nothing special about Chiefs, says Khenyeza

Golden Arrows tactician Mabhuti Khenyeza has downplayed the magnitude of their game against Kaizer Chiefs, who are one of the teams he played for in his heyday, saying there was nothing special about it.

Highflying Arrows host struggling Chiefs in the DStv Premiership clash at Mpumalanga Stadium tomorrow (3.30pm). It'll be the new Chiefs interim coach Cavin Johnson's first game after replacing Molefi Ntseki on Monday amid a spate of poor results.

“You only play two games against Chiefs in the league like you do with any other team, that's six points, finish. What I am trying to explain is that we won't treat our game against Chiefs differently and give it a special treatment,'' Khenyeza said.

“Chiefs are just one of the 16 teams in the Premiership, so why would we want to do things differently against them? There's no extra motivation when we play against Chiefs because it's just another game, where only three points are at stake.”

The Arrows coach emphasised they only focus on themselves, pleading ignorance about Chiefs' recent coaching changes. “Whether we play Chiefs, Cape Town City or whoever, we prepare the same way by focusing mainly on ourselves,'' Khenyeza said.

“I really don't know what's happening at Chiefs... I don't know about any changes there because my focus is solely on Arrows.”

Ahead of his first task at the helm of Amakhosi, Johnson, who had recently joined the club as head of the youth development academy, thanked Chiefs owner Kaizer Motaung senior for entrusting him with the responsibility to lead the senior team.

“I'd like to thank the chairman, Dr Kaizer Motaung, for having enough faith in me to put me in charge of Kaizer Chiefs. I am sure he thought long and hard about his decision, because he knew what he brought me here to do, which is to develop diamonds in the academy,'' Johnson told Chiefs' website.

“But when he felt in his wisdom that he needed me somewhere else, I accepted his proposal. To be given the opportunity to coach Amakhosi, one of the world’s great footballing institutions, is a great honour for me.”