Former South Africa head coach Stuart Baxter has returned to Kaizer Chiefs for a second stint at the club as head coach.
On Wednesday, the Amakhosi confirmed Baxter as their new head coach after parting ways with Gavin Hunt at the end of May 2o21.
The 67-year-old has signed a two-year contract along with a two-year option to extend as the coach of the Kaizer Chiefs.
The Englishman was in charge of the club from 2012 to 2015 in South Africa. During his first stint with the Glamour Boys, he won two South Africa league titles in 2012/13 and 2014/15, the Nedbank Cup in 2012/13 and MTN8 during the 2014/15 season.
“We believe we are on track with the changes we have made so far in the coaching and technical department after a challenging season domestically,” Chiefs Chairman Kaizer Motaung said, referring to the appointment of Baxter and Molefi Ntseki as Head of Technical and Youth Development Academy, as per the club’s official website.
“After extensive reviews and consultations, we decided to appoint Stuart because we believe he is one coach who understands our philosophy and culture. We know his work ethic and believe he will work with the team we have at the moment while trying to rebuild and ensure we have a formidable side for the new season.”
After leaving Chiefs in 2015, Baxter coached in Turkey, India and England. He also spent time at SuperSport United in South Africa before serving as the head coach of Bafana Bafana (South Africa national football team) for two years.
“It has been six years since Stuart left Chiefs after winning the league trophy in 2015, but he departed on good terms and remains a well-liked figure by many supporters, colleagues and some of the players he coached at the time. We believe he will be able to work within our current set-up and will use the time to understand some of the players he’s not familiar with,” Motaung added.
Baxter will work with Arthur Zwane and Dillon Sheppard as his assistants, along with support from Ntseki who was sacked by the South African football team following failure to qualify for the AFCON finals in Cameroon.
