By THANDISIZWE MGUDLWA
CAPE TOWN- It is common cause that children usually start following Kaizer Chiefs Football Club because they think that South Africa’s biggest football club is called ‘Kaizer Chips’.
This is before they discover the real name is actually Kaizer Chiefs, named after its founder and owner Kaizer Motaung.
When Motaung founded the Phefeni Glamour Boys in 1970, he used his first name Kaizer, and joined it with that of the club he first played for in the United States, Chiefs, from Atlanta Chiefs.
Since then Kaizer Chiefs has gone on to become the most decorated football club in South Africa and clearly the biggest sporting brand to date.
But on Monday this week, the ‘Kaizer Chips’ name came close to reality as the SOWETO born outfit known as AMAKHOSI (the Chiefs), launched a potato chip range.
Marketing Director of Kaizer Chiefs, Jessica Motaung invited ‘fans everywhere to get Khosified and truly fuel your passion’.
Kaizer Chiefs said it has launched the potato chip range to take “the essence of passion from the football pitch to the palate”.
This move by AMAKHOSI has also led to social media going abuzz with reactions.
Chiefs is expanding its commercial footprint at a time that the club is going through its eighth year without winning a trophy under the South African Football Association (SAFA)-Premier Soccer League (PSL) calendar.
This week however, Jessica Motaung was upbeat about a turnaround among fans.
“Our vision was clear — to deliver a snack range that embodies the boldness and vibrancy of the Kaizer Chiefs brand. With these explosive flavours, we invite fans everywhere to get Khosified and truly fuel your passion,” she said.
From social media and elsewhere fans are excited, with some joking that the launch was “unofficial” recognition of ‘Kaizer Chips’, which is how some people, mainly children, pronounce the club’s name.
Lawrance Maile commented, “Chiefs marketing department, you guys are doing a great job in ensuring that the brand grows. So innovative, thinking out the box … unlike other football clubs. I know most people won’t stop criticising you for a wonderful job you are doing. People should know that football today is a business.”
While Themba Tshabalala tweeted on X: “Smiles everywhere as @KaizerChiefs
launches their snack range. You can have Kaizer Chips while you watch Kaizer Chiefs.”