Kaizer Chiefs coach Fernando Da Cruz has welcomed support from club sporting director, Kaizer Motaung Jr, and management after a string of unsatisfactory results.

At the back of Chiefs’ shocking exit from the CAF Confederation Cup’s second preliminary round, Motaung Jr released a statement of support for Da Cruz and the players.

“As a club, we would like to reaffirm our full support for, and confidence in, the head coach and the entire technical team,” Motaung Jr said in a statement.

Speaking to the media after their impressive 3-0 win over TS Galaxy in the Carling Knockout Round of 16 at the FNB Stadium on Tuesday, Da Cruz thanked the sporting director and the board for backing him during a frustrating period, which led to him falling sick at some point.

“I would like to first thank the club, all the board members and the sporting director for the statement of support towards me,” Da Cruz responded to Sunday World on Tuesday night.

“People must know that I meet with the sporting director at least once every three or four months to speak about the team and the project. And in our meetings, we always speak about ways to improve the team.

“The sporting director is always there, and he sees our commitment as the coaching staff. And that gives me and the team confidence during this period. Even if we win, draw, or lose, we must analyse the situation very well.

“And when we analyse the situation, we can say that we have been very unlucky in most of our draws, because we deserved to win and we have also been unlucky when it comes to injuries,” he added.

Da Cruz and his charges will surely use the result against Galaxy as a confidence booster ahead of the big league clash against Soweto rivals Orlando Pirates on Saturday.