Khalil Ben Youssef explains why Kaizer Chiefs’ co-coaching setup worked despite his doubts

Ben Youssef opened up about his experience after being part of the coaching duo alongside Cedric Kaze following the departure of Nasreddine Nabi midway through the campaign.

The pair inherited responsibility for leading the Glamour Boys through a difficult period and eventually guided the club to a third-place finish in the Betway Premiership, securing qualification for next season's CAF Confederation Cup.

However, despite achieving one of Chiefs' strongest league finishes in recent years, both coaches departed the club at the end of the season.

Speaking on Metro FM, Ben Youssef explained that success in their arrangement came down to establishing authority from the beginning rather than operating as equals on every decision.

"I'm not familiar with that [co-coaching]; I learned about that in South Africa," he said.

The Tunisian admitted he had previously struggled to understand how such structures operate, even recalling his curiosity when observing similar arrangements elsewhere in local football.

According to Ben Youssef, football requires decisive leadership, particularly when tactical calls must be made under pressure.

"Because at the end of the day, someone has to make the final decision. If I'm co-coaching with another person and I want to play a 4-2-3-1 formation while the other person wants a 4-3-3, what are we going to do?" he said.

He revealed that before taking charge at Chiefs, he and Kaze agreed on a clear working structure.

"Cedric said, 'Where we disagree on something, your ideas will take priority.'"

Ben Youssef believes that understanding prevented major disagreements and allowed the technical team to remain aligned, although he maintains that top-level football generally relies on one recognised decision-maker.