Molefi Ntseki is a veteran South African football coach who currently works as the Head of the Technical and Youth Development Academy of the South African professional soccer club, Kaizer Chiefs.
He began his coaching career with Chiefs in June 2021 after working with several football teams in the country, including the South African national team. Ntseki is an experienced football coach who was equally outstanding during his playing days.
Summary of Molefi Ntseki’s BiographyÂ
- Full name:Â Molefi Ntseki
- Gender: Male
- Date of birth:Â August 18, 1970
- Molefi Ntseki’s Age: 53 years old
- Nationality:Â South African
- Zodiac Sign:Â Leo
- Famous for:Â Managing the South African senior national team.
- Molefi Ntseki’s Instagram: coach_molefi_ntseki
Molefi Ntseki Was Born In Free State Province In 1970
South African veteran coach Molefi Ntseki was born in Botshabelo, Free State province, on the 18th of August 1970. He was also raised in the region by his parents. Unfortunately, details about his background, parents, siblings, and early life are unknown publicly.
Ntseki is believed to have completed his basic education in the region where he was born. However, the names of the institutions he attended and the particular he graduated from are under the radar. It is not clear if he went to college.
Again, there is no available information about his family. It’s not publicly known if there is a woman in his life as he hasn’t mentioned or introduced his wife or kids to the public. He has kept this aspect of life away from the public for years.
He Abandoned His Teaching Profession For Football In 1998
Before his emergence in the South African football space, coach Molefi worked as a professional teacher. His teaching career spanned for a decade, precisely from 1988 to 1998, before switching from the classroom to the field.
Today, the Free State-born football manager is one of the best coaches to have emerged from South Africa, having managed several local teams, including at youth structures and school level.
Molefi is regarded as one of the most accomplished South African football managers, having served his country in the highest national football position for over one year. He has no plans of retiring yet. Currently, he is the coach of one of the biggest clubs in the country, Kaizer Chiefs.
A Look At Molefi Ntseki’s Playing Days And The Teams He Played ForÂ
Molefi’s career as a football player began in the region he was born, Free State. He was among the players who featured for the football club Unisaints and Welkom Stars. Both teams, then, were the biggest clubs in the lower divisions of the province, behind Bloemfontein Celtic and then-QwaQwa Stars, who were already playing in the PSL.
Ntseki was an outstanding player in his playing days, even though he never got the chance to make it professionally. Even as a semi-professional footballer, he made a name for himself through his skills and consistency in the sports he loves so much.
Molefi Ntkesi Began His Coaching Career At His Former Club, Welkom Stars
Ntseki’s first job as a football coach was with his former club, Welkom Stars, in the year 2002. He spent one year with the team and subsequently resigned to establish the Harmony Sports Academy.
Hie’s reigns at the academy came to an end in 2007, after which he joined African Warriors in Qwaqwa as their head coach. He had a fantastic time with the club and also earned the respect of the club’s fans and management team.
After managing the African Warriors for their campaign in the National First Division, Molefi severed his ties with the club in 2009. It was indeed a productive two years for both the team and the football coach.
Ntseki also worked as Serame Letsoaka’s assistant for the South Africa national Under-20 team. His stints with Macky Chenai and Solly Luvhengo as an assistant were also successful in all aspects.
The Botshabelo-born manager’s presence with South Africa’s U23 team under Shakes Mashaba was also felt at that time. He served as Mashaba’s assistant during his term as the team’s head coach.
Between September 2010 and 2014, Ntseki served as Bloemfontein Celtic’s assistant coach. He, however, left the team to work as the head coach of the SA U17 team, Amajimbos.
How Did Molefi Ntseki Become The Head Coach of Bafana Bafana?
Molefi Ntseki’s career with the South African national team began during the days when Stuart Baxter was the head coach of the national team, Bafana Bafana. Then, Molefi served as his assistant and was Baxter’s right-hand man.
The duo played crucial roles in Bafana’s qualifying campaign and their decent outing at the Afcon 2019 competition in Egypt, where the national team reached the quarter-final stage.
He became interim manager of the senior national team in August 2019, following Baxter’s resignation. And later that month, he became the permanent manager of the national senior team.
Molefi was sacked as Bafana Bafana’s manager on the 31st of March 2021 after several disappointing outings by the national team, especially their failure to qualify for the next Afcon football competition Cameroon hosted.
Currently, the respected football manager serves as the head of the Technical and Youth Development Academy at Kaizer Chiefs. He officially commenced his duties with the team on the 1st of June, 2021.
List Of Molefi Ntseki’s Achievements As A Football Manager
- Ntseki, as the head coach of the national U-17 team, qualified them for the 2015 Fifa World Cup in Chile. This was one year after his appointment to the elevated position. The Amajimbos finished as runners-up after losing to Mali.
- He was also instrumental in the Amajimbos’ qualification for the Cosafa Cup tournament in 2016. Unfortunately, his team lost 3-1 on penalties to Namibia in the final. However, he was showered with praises for the impressive outing by South Africans.
- Molefi, again, helped the Amajimbos to get to the Cosafa Cup final in the year 2018. They, however, lost 1-0 to Angola to finish as runners-up in the competition.
- In 2017, the interim Kaizer Chiefs manager won the Free State Sports Award Coach of the Year Award.
Other Notable Facts About The Football ManagerÂ
- Ntseki’s contract at Chiefs is for an initial period of three years, with a two-year option.
- Before his stint with the Chiefs, he had previously worked with a good number of the club’s technical team on international matches during his time with Bafana Bafana as a coach, especially analyst Mark Davy, Arthur Zwane, and goalkeeper coach Lee Baxter.
