Kaizer Chiefs' former fitness coach Elsa Storm has shared a revealing story about the intense atmosphere under former coach Muhsin Ertugral, involving current Sporting Director Kaizer Motaung Junior. Storm, known as 'African Storm' for her demanding sessions, recalled a pre-season camp where a lightning storm forced players to stop running, but Motaung Junior refused to be the one to tell Ertugral.

"Els, we will rather get killed here together by lightning than telling that coach we not running," Motaung Junior told her, according to Storm's account. The incident shows the high-stakes environment and uncompromising discipline Ertugral was known for during his tenure at Naturena.

Elsa Storm's key role

Storm worked as a fitness coach at Kaizer Chiefs for more than 12 years, establishing herself as one of the first women in that role in the Premier Soccer League. She often acted as a mediator between the players and Ertugral, taking criticism on their behalf to maintain a working relationship. Her reputation was cemented early when she held a push-up position until the entire squad fell silent, demanding respect through action.

Her career also included spells with Mamelodi Sundowns, Orlando Pirates and Cape Town Spurs, but her longest and most formative period was with Chiefs. The story of the stormy training session, which took place at the University of Pretoria where Ertugral was observing, is a window into the internal dynamics of a past regime.

Context of current campaign

The anecdote emerges as the current Kaizer Chiefs squad handles its own pressures, sitting 5th in the Betway Premiership with 14 points from nine games, a record of three wins, five draws and a single loss. The team has scored 14 goals and conceded 10, giving them a goal difference of plus four. Their recent form reads two wins, one draw and two defeats from the last five, a sequence that includes a 2-1 loss to Orlando Pirates in their most recent outing on Saturday 31 October, where P. Mmodi scored their consolation goal. That result leaves them 12 points behind leaders Mamelodi Sundowns in the standings.

The side's recent results show a mixed pattern, with a 3-0 victory over TS Galaxy on Tuesday 27 October, where W. Duba scored a hat-trick, preceding the derby defeat. Before that, they recorded a 1-0 win over Red Arrows and a 1-0 loss to the same opponent, following a 1-1 draw with Stellenbosch. The next test is an away fixture against Chippa United, who are 7th in the table, on Saturday 28 November. With the team showing vulnerability in a LWWLD pattern, stories from past campaigns about resilience and pressure feel particularly resonant. The unresolved tension Storm describes between a club legend and a former coach serves as a reminder of the high standards expected at Kaizer Chiefs, standards the current side is striving to meet as they prepare for their trip to Gqeberha, with top scorer M. Shabalala, who has two goals this season, among those charged with providing the attacking threat.

First reported at google.com