Kaizer Chiefs head coach Cavin Johnson has given further clarity on a seemingly heated conversation with goalkeeper Brandon Petersen following Amakhosi's 3-2 defeat to rivals Orlando Pirates in the Soweto Derby.
Johnson joined the Soweto giants as a head of the academy in September but with the first team in turmoil under Molefi Ntseki, he was promoted to interim head coach by the club's hierarchy to stabilise what looked to be a disastrous season.
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Unfortunately, Johnson fared no better than Ntseki as Chiefs won just one of their last 10 league matches and slipped to a 10th-place finish – their lowest finishing position in the PSL era.
One of the more talked-about incidents during Johnson's brief tenure was a match against Orlando Pirates Where the goalkeeper appearances to be in a heated conversation with Johnson.
Kaizer Chiefs Goalkeeper Brandon Petersen was so upset and started shouting at his coach Cavin Johnson after their loss to Pirates ??
— Rushsportson (@Rushsportson2) March 9, 2024
Orlando Pirates 3-2 Kaizer Chiefs #Rushsportson #Amakhosi4Life #OrlandoPirates #Sundowns #DStvPrem #SowetoDerby pic.twitter.com/VjbuGduSfK
Speaking on the On The Whistle Podcast, the former Al Ahly assistant coach offered more clarity and revealed what exactly was being discussed.
"A picture tells a thousand words and the picture that was painted on that particular [incident] was like we were having a go at each other," Johnson said.
"And honestly, the light shining above my head like we would say in the old days, and the lighting can strike, I'm telling the truth, nothing happened and in the end. I had to explain to a lot of their journalists who I am as a coach.
"When we are in 90 minutes things can change a lot, you know it, they know it...
"In one moment I want that type of interaction with my players. The talk (with Petersen) was all about 'Coach they are not holding the ball, we were leading the game,' I think that was it, we were leading the game and we wanted to win the game and he got up and said coach they are not doing the right thing and I said 'it's fine, don't worry, just sit down'.
"But I encourage my players to do that because of our bench, the way our bench is set up. If you look at the bench in England, the bench in Spain, they never sit next to the coach, they sit behind the coach… Whereas, in South Africa it's just one long line.
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"So in all of that, I am a head coach who likes the interaction with my players and fortunately and unfortunately because of the social media that we have in today's football, you need to be aware that shows the general public.
"So yes, like you asked, how do we coach the social player and that is another level of coaching we to start doing also."