Cedric Kaze alongside Khalil ben Youssef

• Kaizer Chiefs have officially ended the tenure of co-coaches Cedric Kaze and Khalil Ben Youssef after the 2025/26 season.
• The pair briefly revived the club’s form and even sparked hopes of a title push before a late-season collapse derailed their momentum.
• Chiefs finished third on 54 points, but early cup exits and inconsistency ultimately led to a managerial reset ahead of the 2026/27 season.
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Kaizer Chiefs on Tuesday confirmed the departure of co-coaches Cedric Kaze and Khalil Ben Youssef with immediate effect, bringing an end to their stint following the conclusion of the 2025/26 season.

The pair initially stepped into the hot seat after the exit of head coach Nasreddine Nabi earlier in the campaign, inheriting a side in search of stability and identity.

“With the season concluded, Kaizer Chiefs have confirmed the departure of coaches Khalil Ben Youssef and Cedric Kaze following the end of their two-year contracts with the Club. Ben Youssef joined Amakhosi at the start of the 2024/25 season, with Kaze arriving in October 2024. Both initially served as assistants to former coach Nasreddine Nabi, who officially left the Club in October 2025,” the club said in a statement on Tuesday.

For a brief spell, there were signs of promise. Chiefs climbed to 32 points after 15 matches - matching their total from the entire previous season when they had failed to break into the top eight.

At one stage, belief began to grow that Amakhosi could even mount an unlikely title challenge, sitting just five points behind rivals Orlando Pirates. But momentum is a fragile thing, and Chiefs’ season soon unravelled in brutal fashion.

A damaging run of five defeats in six league matches, including three consecutive losses in the Betway Premiership, effectively ended their hopes.

Cup competitions offered no refuge either, as early exits from both the Nedbank Cup and CAF Confederation Cup extinguished their remaining chances of silverware.

Still, there were positives to salvage from an inconsistent campaign. Chiefs finished third with 54 points - their highest league tally since the 2019/20 season - securing qualification for next year’s Confederation Cup and offering at least a platform for renewal.

The club now turns its attention to the future, as management begins the search for a new head coach ahead of the 2026/27 season, hoping to turn flashes of progress into sustained success.

“More announcements will follow during the course of the next few weeks as we build up to the start of the new season,” the club added.