Middendorp pays the price for title failure
Chiefs fans deserve better, says Motaung
KAIZER Chiefs coach Ernst Middendorp has been held accountable for the team’s disastrous finish this season as he was sacked by the club yesterday afternoon.
In the first eight months of the season Amakhosi appeared to be on course to be crowned champions as they comfortably occupied the summit of the PSL standings.
But as the season came to a halt and later resumed, Chiefs stuttered and failed to consolidate top spot. In the eight matches since the resumption, they won just two, lost three and drew three.
Chiefs’ fate hung by a thread as they took the championship race down to the wire. Chiefs led on goal difference, while Mamelodi Sundowns who were at one stage 13 points behind were hot on their heels.
On the last day of the season last weekend, Chiefs unceremoniously bottled their chance to win the championship after drawing with Baroka FC 1-1 to end the campaign with 57 points, while Sundowns’ 3-0 victory over Black Leopards gave them 59 points and the title.
However, drastic measures needed to be taken after that epic fail at the final hurdle.
And for Middendorp there was no place to hide, considering he was spared in his first six months, despite finishing ninth on the log and losing the Nedbank Cup final last season.
Chiefs took to their official social media pages yesterday to announce the termination of Middendorp’s services with one year left on his contract.
“After giving the coach and the technical team the ammunition required to compete in the new season, there were some improvements, and this was evident during the first eight months of this 2019-2020 season,” said Chiefs chairman Kaizer Motaung in a statement.
“However, when the league restarted post- lockdown, things changed, and we looked a totally different side in our last eight league matches.
“We witnessed some heart-stopping performances and we were overtaken on the log in the last game of the season, which truly broke our hearts.
“We have to take responsibility – we can’t wait and allow this situation to continue.”
Chiefs are celebrating their 50th anniversary this year and looked set to celebrate in style with the league title they last won under Stuart Baxter in 2015.
“We truly believed and hoped that our 50th anniversary year would be better, and it indeed looked promising,” Motaung said.
“The decision taken is part of a strategy to have the team win trophies again and to make our supporters happy because they deserve better.”
The Glamour Boys will have to try again next season.
Former Wits coach Gavin Hunt, who left after the club was sold, is said to be the front runner for the vacant position at Naturena.
The club, though, is holding their cards close to the chest, saying, “we will announce the new coach before the team returns for pre-season training”.
The players, who were also reported to be at the receiving end of a backlash from management on Tuesday afternoon, have been given some time off and will start preparation ahead of the new season later this month.
For Middendorp, though, another stint at Chiefs ends in shame.