Kaizer Chiefs want to have their Zamalek and drink it in Egypt this weekend

The irony was not lost on Bobby Motaung that Kaizer Chiefs’ partnership with Carling Black Label was announced on the week of their clash against a team that lent the popular beer brand a nickname it carries to this day.

Amakhosi are travelling to Egypt this weekend for the final match in the round-robin phase of the CAF Confederation Cup against Zamalek, needing only to avoid defeat to progress to the quarter-final. Speaking after the announcement of the rekindled partnership between the two brands, Motaung chuckled at the realisation.

“Ja, it’s special and came at the right time when we need inspiration and to inspire our fans and give hope to them.”

Way back in 1993, when South Africa was readmitted to continental football, Chiefs took on Zamalek in the CAF Champions Cup (now the CAF Champions League). Given the red, white, and black colours that the Egyptian club wore, the locals decided to nickname Carling Black Label a "Zamalek" due to the beer sharing those colours.

Three decades and a bit later, Chiefs face a crucial match against the White Knights in Cairo, and Tuesday’s announcement of their partnership with Black Label serves to provide extra motivation, Motaung said.

“It’s important for us to progress and, unfortunately, we could not score the third goal (in their 2-1 victory over another Egyptian side, Al Masry, in Polokwane at the weekend) which would have secured us qualification. But the door is still open for us to qualify. We still have to compete and try to win that match, and it is a good challenge for us to go to Zamalek and compete. We need to be positive going there, and this partnership with Black Label came at the right time.”

Motaung says Chiefs would love nothing more than to taste continental glory yet again.

“We are looking forward to the Confederation Cup at the moment, and we will then focus on the league when we come back from Egypt. Playing in continental competition is about consistency, and our ambition has always been to go all the way," Motaung said.

"We’ve won the Super Cup (CAF Cup Winners’ Cup in 2001) with Muhsin Ertugral and we have been to the final (of the Champions League in 2021) but could not win it. That season we had a good squad, even though we could not sign players (due to a Fifa ban), and we did well to reach the final. Remember, it was during the tough times of travelling in Covid-19 times, but we did well.”

He credited the club’s resurgence – Chiefs are top of their group in the CAF Confederation Cup and in the top five in the Betway Premiership – to their having kept the same technical team, as well as their great planning and patience with their players. But there is room for improvement still.

“We are not where we want to be yet and have not achieved what we need, but the consistency in keeping the technical team and the players that we have has really helped.”

And now they have the backing of Carling Black Label to help them soar over Zamalek into the CAF Confederation Cup quarter-finals and perhaps even ‘all the way’.