Tshepo insists he was not fired
Tshepo Motsoeneng has come out to set the record straight about his unforeseen departure from Chippa United, maintaining he had never been fired by Chippa Mpengesi, who is famously known as the trigger happy soccer boss.
Motsoeneng left the embattled PE-based PSL outfit after the club parted ways with former Black Leopards coach Joel Masutha – whom Motsoeneng was assisting. The pair was in charge of only five games at Chilli Boys, where they drew two and lost three games.
The former AmaZulu goalkeeper told the Daily Dispatch that after Clinton Larsen took over the reigns at Chilli Boys he then was offered another position, with the Chippa United Reserves side, campaigning in the MultiChoice Diski Challenge.
“I was told by management the club wanted to keep me; they valued me, hence they wanted me to go to the MDC.
“But I declined the offer based on one factor: that I could still coach in ABC Motsepe League and the MDC has not been successful anywhere, and I think it’s not run properly,” said Motsoeneng.
“I didn’t want to go there to embarrass myself, because they [Chippa United] said I would be getting the same package as assistant coach and everything.
“But in football you know if you go to development you can never earn the same salary as coaches in the first team; that’s unheard of,” he said.
Motsoeneng, who has an impressive coaching CV, said the Chilli Boys’ management had also asked him to help fine tune the third-tier league club aligned to Chilli Boys – Peacemakers.
“They told me that I would also help with Peacemakers, and that’s when I realised that no, I can’t do that.
“I’d rather go back where I started something and try to finish it, so I was not fired.”
The former Free State Stars goalie said when “the restructuring” took place and he was demoted, “I told myself that I went there for first team and nothing else.
“So that means I was never tasted or given an opportunity to express myself as a coach.
“Because I’ve been a head coach [of Tornado] and I’ve been successful in that regard. So it doesn’t matter if you give me experienced players.
“I was a top player in the country as well, so I know what top players want.
“And I know the respect they command and what coaches want from them.
“Hence I feel I was never really tested, and it will always remain a question that I left Chippa United without being tested.”
Motsoeneng, who assisted Masutha at Chilli Boys in five games, said the timing was not right for him with the PSL outfit.
“Look at the games we’ve played and the number of days that we rested. We couldn’t do much because we had back-toback games, and then we went on a break.
“But then I thought to myself that let me be professional about it and I sent the chairman [Siviwe “Chippa” Mpengesi] a Whatsapp text, thanking him for the experience.
“Because the move was never about money. I had a six-month contract with the club, but I just asked them to pay me what I had worked for.”
Motsoeneng arrived in Mdantsane on Saturday and has resumed his coaching duties at his former club, Tornado.
“I’m back with chairman Mawawa [Siphiwo Nyobo – Tornado owner] now. I went to see the boys play and they responded to my presence, even though I was not doing anything.”