Kaizer Chiefs FC was founded in January 1970 shortly after the return of
Kaizer "Chincha Guluva" Motaung from the
United States where he played as a striker for the
Atlanta Chiefs of the
North American Soccer League (NASL). He combined his own first name with the Atlanta Chiefs to create the name of Kaizer Chiefs. Several other people have played key roles in the formation and growth of Kaizer Chiefs, including the late Gilbert Sekgabi, Clarence Mlokoti, China Ngema, Ewert "The Lip" Nene, and Rabelani Jan Mofokeng, he trailed and quit because of work. Club manager Bobby Motaung, son of Kaizer Chiefs founder Kaizer Motaung, has been a key figure in the administration, recruitment and strategic direction of the club since the 1990s. Kaizer Chiefs are known as
"Amakhosi" by its fans, a
Zulu word meaning "kings" or "chiefs". Their headquarters is
Kaizer Chiefs Village six kilometres south of Johannesburg. At the time the team was said to have been a team that was on
"Operation vat alles" by its then public relations officer Putco Mafani,
"vat alles" being an
Afrikaans statement meaning
"take everything" in English. However, the highs of cup wins was contrasted by the lows of the
Ellis Park Stadium disaster on 11 April 2001, in which 43 fans were crushed to death during the
Soweto Derby between Chiefs and their arch-rivals
Orlando Pirates. By winning the African Cup Winners' Cup, Chiefs played the
2001 CAF Champions League winners
Al Ahly of
Egypt in the
2002 CAF Super Cup. In April 2002, Kaizer Chiefs' achievements during 2001 were recognized as they were chosen as the "CAF Club of the Year" by the
Confederation of African Football. During the championship race of the
2004–05 soccer season, Chiefs overtook the season-long leaders (
Orlando Pirates) in the last game of the season to defend its PSL championship. Under the leadership of
Romanian coach
Ted Dumitru,
Zambian striker
Collins Mbesuma had a record-breaking season scoring 39 goals in all competitions. Kaizer Chiefs' forays into Africa were temporarily scuttled by a Confederation of African Football (CAF) ban. However, it still made its presence felt through the annual
Vodacom Challenge that pit Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates with an invited
European club. Chiefs have won the Vodacom Challenge Cup 5 times since its inception. They beat a young
Manchester United side 4–3 on penalties in the 2006 Challenge to win the trophy. In March 2007, coach
Ernst Middendorp and the club parted company. The club instantly appointed their rival Orlando Pirates' former coach
Kosta Papić for the remainder of the 2006–07 season.
Muhsin Ertuğral returned for the 2007–08 season to begin his second stint with Chiefs, having already coached
The Glamour Boys from 1999 until 2003. Under coach Ernst Middendorp in the 2019/20 season, Kaizer Chiefs topped the table from the seventh matchday of the season until infamously losing the title on the final day, which saw the club finishing two points behind winners Mamelodi Sundowns. On 26 June 2021, the team secured their first
CAF Champions League final appearance after defeating
Wydad AC by a 1–0 aggregate. On 9 July 2021, Kaizer Chiefs confirmed through Twitter that they signed six players for next season after their transfer ban ended. On 17 July 2021, they lost 3–0 against
Al Ahly in the
Champions League Final. In the 2023/24 season, Kaizer chiefs finished in 10th position under the interim coach Cavin Johnson, making this their lowest finish in the PSL era. ==Stadium==