Durban — We have seen two clubs from the Premiership change coaches in Marumo Gallants and Chippa United. Unsurprisingly, the Chilli Boys opted to replace Daine Klate with Morgan Mammila.
Based on history, Mammila too is unlikely to last long and it will be an achievement if he does see through the season as coach of the club owned by the PSL’s most erratic owner Siviwe Mpengesi.
Gallants also made a slow start to the season after their gamble with inexperienced French tactician Romain Folz flopped. It is the second year running that Gallants did not find luck with an unknown French coach. The exact same thing happened to them last year as they parted ways with Sebastien Migne.
As the league standings starts to take shape, we are almost definitely going to see more sackings which will create opportunities for coaches such as Luc Eymael, Ernst Middendorp and Fadlu Davids who have all been linked with returns to the dugout in the near future.
Middendorp has spent so much time in South Africa that he has citizenship, hence any team that will want to hire him will not need to worry about securing a work visa. The German has coached no less than six teams in SA. While it is hard to see any top clubs hiring the 63-year-old, he could be an option for those in mid table and at the lower end of the log.
Davids has been without a job since parting ways with Orlando Pirates at the end of last season. While not the most experienced coach, he has shown promise as a young tactician and can add flair to any team.
Any appointment of Eymael may be met with controversy after he was accused of racism towards fans of his former club Yanga SC in July 2020.
However, the Belgian was exonerated from racism by Safa’s ethics committee in 2021 which clears the way for him to return to coach in SA. It remains to be seen though if any club will be willing to subject themselves to the scrutiny that may come with appointing him.
IOL Sport