Chippa United Season Review: Chilli Boys look to reshape the future after top-eight miss

The Chilli Boys made only one high profile signing prior to the 2024/25 season, with Andile Jali headlining the new signings alongside Orlando Pirates loanee Siphelo Baloni, mostly from lower divisions of South African football.

Chairman Chippa Mpengesi's side started the season off well under head coach Kwanele Kopo, winning four of their first seven league matches following an opening day 2-1 loss against Orlando Pirates in Soweto.

However, after being knocked out of the Carling Cup Round of 16 by TS Galaxy, Chippa then struggled to maintain the positive results, which saw them plummet from fifth position on the Betway Premiership table to 11th position after ten games.

Following a narrow 1-0 loss against Kaizer Chiefs, the club announced that Kwanele Kopo will step down as head coach after opting not to renew his contract, citing a desire to return to Johannesburg to focus on his family and personal priorities in 2025.

Kopo was replaced by Thabo September, with former Golden Arrows coach Mabhuti Khenyeza being brought in as his assistant, as the club sat in ninth spot on the league table.

After a rough start under the new leadership, Chippa managed a mix bag of results but found themselves not drifting into the play-off/relegation spot, which had been become a regular trait of the team in previous campaigns.

A 2-0 victory over Polokwane City in March saw the team climb back into the top eight spots, with five matches left in the season, however, the Chilli Boys lost four of their last five league matches, eventually missing out on MTN8 qualification on the final day.

The Eastern Cape team will need to improve their consistency and away form ahead of the 2025/26 campaign, in order to better their 11th-place finish after managing only two wins on the road this season.

On the bright side, attacking midfielder Sinoxolo Kwayiba's performances have not gone unnoticed, catching the eye of Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos, who handed him his debut in the 87th minute of the 5-0 thrashing of Congo in an AFCON Group K qualifier.

The 25-year-old has also subsequently been called up for South Africa's upcoming international friendlies against Tanzania and Mozambique.

Chippa Mpengesi has already announced new plans for next season, with the appointment of Bafana Bafana Analyst and Technical Scout Sinesipho Mali as the club's new Sporting Director.

This is one of the early moves that the Chairman and his board have made in their reported ambition to help the club as it reshapes its footballing structure and long-term vision.

Here are a few key stats from The Chilli Boys season:

Key player             -  Sinoxolo Kwayiba (8 goal contributions - 7 goals, 1 assist)
Top goalscorer     -  Sinoxolo Kwayiba (7 goals)
Most minutes       -  Thabo Makhele (2730 minutes played)
Clean sheets        -  10 ( Stanley Nwabali - 9, Lukhanyo July - 1)