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Komphela never expected respect from Chiefs supporters

Cape Town - Former Kaizer Chiefs coach Steve Komphela believes local coaches get less respect from supporters than their foreign counterparts.

Komphela was in charge of Chiefs for nearly three full seasons where he failed to win a single trophy from 2015 until 2018.

The 52-year-old has since been in charge of Bloemfontein Celtic before making the switch to Golden Arrows who he guided to a 10th-place finish as well as the semi-final of the Nedbank Cup.

Nonetheless, reflecting on foreign and local coaches in South African football, the experienced mentor told reporters: "Stuart Baxter (Bafana Bafana coach) is a very close friend of mine, I worked with him and I have great respect for him.

"He's one of those foreign coaches who have come here and added value, [but] there's nothing wrong with our own people doing their jobs for their countries.

"The only thing if you are local, you are going to face a lot of insults unnecessarily, because we think less of ourselves, so the minute the nation can have more respect for the nation itself then the nation shall respect its own and not forget.

"If you think Steve Komphela coaching Chiefs will earn him respect, my man you are wasting your time, and if Steve Komphela thinks going to Chiefs will make him recognised or appreciated for what he's doing, that is right, he must forget.

"When you are moving there, you need to be strong. As a local it's not easy, you must forget but we must keep on fighting."

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