Mapeza’s Chilli Boys must be fully focused
Foreigners filled nearly half the posts on offer since 1996
Chippa United coach Norman Mapeza will have an important task of ensuring his charges don’t choke when he makes his debut in the Telkom Knockout competition in Mdanstane next Tuesday evening (7.30pm).
The Chilli Boys will host Bloemfontein Celtic in the first round of the competition at Sisa Dukashe Stadium at NU 2 and the Port Elizabeth-based PSL outfit is expected to arrive in East London on Sunday where they are set to conclude their preparations for the game.
“The club is playing in Mdantsane and we are going to be arriving in East London, where we’ll have a couple of training sessions before the game,” said Chippa United chief operating officer Lukhanyo Mzinzi.
The Chilli Boys have experienced a bit of turbulence since the new season began after they failed to secure maximum points in all eights games played thus far, a result that has seen them only getting four points in the bag. They are sitting in the basement of the log standings after the four losses and four draws. On the other hand Siwelele has done pretty much well for themselves this season in the league and otherwise. To make things worse, the Bloemfontein-based side is coming off a morale boosting 2nil victory against Kaizer Chiefs that earned them bragging rights of the Macufe Cup on Sunday. They have also cemented themselves in the top 10 on the log standings following two wins with two draws in the league, and they are sitting in ninth position with eight points. The Chilli Boys were expected to take some time out from their hectic training schedule to hold coaching clinics in primary schools around Mdantsane on Monday.
Norman Mapeza will become the 233rd different coach to take charge of a club in the Premier Soccer League era‚ which stretches back to 1996‚ when he makes his debut in charge of Chippa United in the first round of the Telkom Knockout.
Chippa host Bloemfontein Celtic at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth on Tuesday in the last of the first-round encounters.
Ex-Zimbabwe international Mapeza‚ who won the league title in his home country for the past two seasons‚ becomes the fourth coach to take charge of a Chippa game this season
The 47-year-old is the 115th foreign coach and the 10th from Zimbabwe to work in the PSL‚ following in the footsteps of Roy Barreto‚ Sunday Chidzambwa‚ Ian Gorowa‚ Bruce Grobbelaar‚ Wilfred Mugeyi‚ William Mugeyi‚ Shepherd Murape‚ Peter Nyama and MTN8 winner Kaitano Tembo.
Of the 233 coaches‚ just over half have been local. The 118 South Africans are almost matched by the 115 foreigners‚ who have come from 38 different countries.
There have been 13 English coaches‚ 12 from the Netherlands and 10 from Serbia.
Coaches from recent World Cup winning countries have been less attractive to local bosses. There have been five Brazilians‚ four Germans‚ four French‚ one Italian and one Spaniard.
Coaches have also come from 13 different African countries.
Last season‚ three of the four trophies on offer in the PSL were won by locals as Mamelodi Sundowns took the league under Pitso Mosimane; upstarts TS Galaxy the Nedbank Cup with Dan Malesela in charge and Benni McCarthy and Cape town CXoity won the MTN8. Ex-Zambian international Wedson Nyirenda led Baroka Fc to a shock Telkom Knockout triumph.
Zimbabwean Tembo‚ in charge at SuperSport United‚ has taken this season’s MTN8. Half the 16 top flight clubs this season have local coaches and the other half are foreign.
This is the 24th PSL season since the switch from playing the season inside a calendar year to starting in August and going through to May‚ as well as the rebranding of the old National Soccer League.
There have been five Brazilians, four Germans, 1 Italian, and one Spaniard