Torreira to buy his own time at Chiefs
Kabelo Boranabi | Tuesday January 13, 2026 09:53
Magosi are back in the top flight for a second season since the dreadful drop some years back. The club reshaped itself following the partnership with Stanton Fredericks Sports Management that was struck in late 2024 and Chiefs now has the aura of a club that dominated 2010's era. Now, following the unveiling of Spanish coach Miguel Corral Torreira, Magosi are once again daring to believe.
Torreira’s appointment marks the return of European influence at Chiefs for the first time since Dragojlo Stanojlović’s stint in 2013–14, a period many supporters still recall as one of structure and tactical clarity.
The Spaniard replaces club legend Pontsho ‘Piro’ Moloi, a man whose name is etched into Chiefs folklore. He is the last Chiefs captain to lift the league title, and later entrusted with the daunting task of restoring that same glory from the dugout. That mission now falls on younger shoulders.
Speaking during his unveiling, Torreira made it clear that he is not arriving blind. He has studied the Botswana Premier League, watched its rhythm, assessed its competitiveness, and, crucially, analysed Chiefs themselves.
“I was scouting the league. I know the rhythm of the games, the level of the competition and the performance of my team. This is a big challenge for me and for all of us,' Torreira said.
The 34-year-old carries a shiny UEFA Pro Licence on his sleeve and alongside coaching stints in Central America, Asia and Europe. The Chiefs' job is his first in the continent, making Africa his fourth continental stop in his career.
The Spaniard speaks with the confidence of a coach who understands where he has landed, a club with immense history, enormous expectations and very little patience for excuses.
He admits to being deeply emotional about the game, describing himself as a passionate coach who wants his team to mirror that intensity on the pitch.
“I understand football like a passion. I am very passionate and I want my team to be very passionate and very aggressive on the pitch,” Torreira said, while stressing that he already understands the Botswana football environment.
For Chiefs’ leadership, however, this appointment is not about instant gratification. Club president, Stanton Fredericks, was candid in laying out a vision rooted in realism rather than romance.
Fredericks reminded the audience that the current leadership only came in midway through last season and still managed a fifth-place finish, no small feat for a club in transition. But he was quick to caution against the illusion of overnight success.
“Football is not like a switch. You don not switch it on and suddenly want to win the league. You need to understand your competitors. You need to grow the team,' Fredericks said. For Chiefs, the rebuild starts away from the pitch.
“First and foremost, we need to get our structures right from top to bottom,” he explained.
“They say success begins at the top. When things run smoothly, it filters down to the field,” the former South African footballer stated.
That thinking has informed the appointment of Torreira and the broader technical team, designed to allow players to focus solely on football rather than administrative turbulence. And yet, ambition has not been parked.
Chiefs are targeting tangible and measurable progress. The immediate objective is to break into the top three, with a cup victory viewed as a valuable bonus, one that could open the door to continental football via the CAF Confederation Cup.
“It is a five to ten-year vision,” Fredericks said. “It is not overnight success. We want to progress from year one to year two, year three. That said, we would love to break into the top three.”
Torreira has signed a two-year contract, a signal of trust and long-term intent, but also a reminder that this is a relationship built on mutual belief.
Chiefs are prepared to give him time something the club has not always afforded its coaches to install his ideas and shape the team in his image.
But is Torreira the man to succeed where so many before him have fallen short? Can a young European coach navigate the emotional weight of a sleeping giant, the pressure of a fan base starved of silverware, and the ghosts of legends who once carried the crown?
History shows that Chiefs’ success has always been rooted in identity discipline, pride and collective belief. Torreira now inherits not just a team, but a legacy yearning for revival.