Miguel and Da Cruz go on the defensive as questions mount over Chiefs’ decline

By Velile Mnyandu
22nd October 2026

Kaizer Chiefs captain Inacio Miguel has refused to comment about the decline of the club, in a question that was directed at him, asking about the role the Chiefs management is alleged to be playing in all of this.

The Chiefs management have come under pressure in recent weeks, as the club has now gone seven matches without winning a game. Last weekend, Chiefs lost their first leg in the 2nd preliminary round of the CAF Confederation Cup 1-0 to Red Arrows of Zambia. They play the second leg tomorrow in Durban, but the Chiefs fanbase is not a happy bunch.

"Listen, for me as a player, I am fully focused on the game, on the 90 minutes, on the training every day. Everything aside, it's not my responsibility. I think, respectfully, we don't speak about that subject. My focus is on the game and what we can do as a team. In terms of management, I have nothing to do with that – my focus is to help the team and get the victory as soon as possible," said Miguel.

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What makes things very difficult for Chiefs is the gap that their arch-rivals, Orlando Pirates and African champions Mamelodi Sundowns, are continuing to stretch between them and the once-mighty Amakhosi. Head Coach Fernando Da Cruz has also been facing a lot of scrutiny these days for his ultra-defensive approach, responding to the same question, he’s likened the Chiefs situation to that of Arsenal and PSG.

Da Cruz, his technical team and the players are under pressure to overturn last week’s result and advance to the group stages of the CAF Confederation Cup. Chiefs were knocked out in the first round of the MTN8 by Golden Arrows, and failure to reach the group stages will be disastrous for Da Cruz and his technical team. The Frenchman says pressure is something they came already prepared for at Chiefs.

The divisions in the Chiefs camp were also visible after the game in Zambia, where goalkeeper Renaldo Learner was involved in a war of words with defender Reeve Frosler. Miguel tried to downplay what happened between the two players.

Addressing the matter of Leaner and Frosler, Da Cruz says he didn’t see a need to intervene or address the matter with the players, even though the incident was trending on social media.