On 7 January 1970, in a house in Soweto, the club that would become the most popular in South Africa was born. Kaizer Chiefs turns 57 on 7 January 2027. Its story runs through America, a divided team and a man with a vision.

A star who came back from America

Kaizer Motaung, known as 'Boy Boy', shone as a teenager at Orlando Pirates. In 1968 he crossed the Atlantic to play for the Atlanta Chiefs in the American NASL, where he was named rookie of the year with 11 goals.

When he returned in late 1969, he found Pirates in turmoil, with manager Ewert Nene and three players expelled. His attempt to bridge the divide failed, and so something new was born.

From Kaizer XI to Kaizer Chiefs

An invitational side called Kaizer XI began playing friendlies that packed out grounds. The fans wanted more, and on 7 January 1970 the team became an official club, on Sentsho Street in Phefeni, Soweto.

The name joins the founder's first name with the 'Chiefs' of Atlanta. As Motaung himself has said, without Atlanta there would be no Kaizer Chiefs today.

At first many saw Chiefs as brash upstarts, but their professional approach soon won over players and fans. Motaung retired as a player in 1976, the year Nene was murdered by hooligans, and devoted himself to running the club.

Gold, black and a chief in a headdress

The club's traditional colours are gold and black, as the club itself stresses. The crest keeps the look of the Atlanta Chiefs, with the head of a chief in a Native American headdress in black relief on a gold-orange background.

Fans call the team 'Amakhosi', Zulu for 'chiefs' or 'kings'. The other nickname, 'Glamour Boys', came from Motaung's insistence that his players dress smartly and play attractive football.

For the 50th anniversary in January 2020, the team wore an all-black commemorative shirt with gold details, a tribute to the 1970s and to the 'city of gold' where it was born. Later a shirt with a lion's-mane pattern recalled the founder's Bataung clan name.

The 'Cup Kings'

The first league title came as early as 1974, followed by those of 1977 and 1979. In 1979 Chiefs became the first 'black' side to beat a traditionally 'white' side in the Champion of Champions, in the apartheid years.

In the 1980s they won so many cups that they earned the nickname 'Cup Kings'. In 2001 they won the African Cup Winners' Cup and were named CAF Club of the Year.

Back-to-back league titles followed in 2003/04 and 2004/05, and a league and cup double in 2012/13. Kaizer Chiefs was also one of the first teams in the country to field white players, and in 2002 Nelson Mandela attended the opening of its training ground.

The club's greatest tragedy had come a year earlier: on 11 April 2001, at a derby against Pirates at Ellis Park, 43 fans died in a crush. Today the team often plays at Johannesburg's huge FNB Stadium.

The legends of Amakhosi

Patrick 'Ace' Ntsoelengoe and Theophilus 'Doctor' Khumalo are among the greatest players in the club's history. The gold-and-black shirt has also been worn by Lucas Radebe, Neil Tovey, Siphiwe Tshabalala and goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune.

Celebrate with us

From a house in Soweto to millions of fans across the country, Kaizer Chiefs has made history on and off the pitch. Happy 57th birthday, Amakhosi!

See our collectible jerseys at sportarena.gr.

Photo: FNB Stadium (then Soccer City), Johannesburg, 2010 – Marcello Casal Jr/ABr, Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY 3.0 BR.