Moloi set to step in to Dan’s shoes

NEWLY-APPOINTED Chippa United caretaker coach Teboho Moloi said his call up to the Chilli Boys did not come as a surprise.

Moloi was yesterday announced as the team’s caretaker coach by Chippa boss Siviwe Mpengesi with immediate effect replacing his former colleague Dan Malesela, who was fired this week.

“I was involved with the team before so I was most likely the sort of person to come back and help the team, just like they had earmarked me before to come in,” Moloi said yesterday.

“In football there are no surprises. You should always be ready for anything. It’s like when you are sitting on the bench and the coach says you must warm up you can’t say ‘eish the coach surprised me and I was not ready’.

“As a football person you must always be ready for anything at any given time,” he said.

Before his return Moloi spent a month with the Chilli Boys as assistant coach but left before the start of the new season.

Asked if he is feeling any pressure ahead of his first assignment away to Platinum Stars tomorrow the former Orlando Pirates midfielder said: “Football is football and I wouldn’t say that there is pressure or no pressure. I have always been on the spot since I was five years old.

“The only thing we need to do as Chippa is to redeem ourselves after what happened on Tuesday.

“I think we have the material and the guys who are able to do that,” hesaid. “I don’t know why people say the chairman has a tendency of firing and hiring people, this is business. In business if you deliver you will remain in the team and if you don’t deliver your contract will be terminated.

“In coaching you should always be ready for anything that can happen.”

Moloi said he was not given any mandate upon his arrival at the club. He said with Chippa already a big brand itself and an ambitious team the only thing for him to do was to make sure that the team continue with their good brand of football and also to help grow the brand.

Mpengesi welcomed the former Bafana Bafana midfielder back to the club.

“We are delighted to welcome Teboho Moloi back to the football club, now as caretaker coach.

“Moloi comes from a football family and football runs in his DNA. He is a servant of the game and fully deserves this opportunity.”

Malesela was sacked following a 3-1 defeat to Baroka FC on Tuesday night.

No reasons were given for Malesela’s dismissal when the club released a statement announcing Moloi’s appointment yesterday.