Baroka chief slams players

BAROKA chief executive Morgan Mammila has put the blame on players, and not management, for the club’s precarious position in the Absa Premiership.

The management of Baroka has made some bizarre decisions lately, suspending coach Jacob Sakala, his assistant Edward Williams and technical director Mark Harrison.

They were suspended for apparently refusing to sign a letter assuring they would win the team’s next four matches.

The appointment of Sakala itself was a shock, considering how long he’s been out of coaching in the PSL. The suspension was followed by the reinstatement of eccentric coach Kgoloko Thobejane, who returned to the hot seat with a humiliating 5-0 defeat to Bidvest Wits on Wednesday. After the heavy defeat, Mammila lashed out at the players for not following the coach’s instructions.

“The team is not playing well. You can see some of our players are not fit. I think the players need to do their part.

I don’t think they followed the instructions of the coach. They were playing as individuals. You can’t win games when you play as individuals. “To be honest, leave management out of this. We don’t play, it’s players who play. The players are travelling in a classy bus, they are staying in nice accommodation.

“They are having nice food and we are paying them well. We are doing enough, so it’s for them to deliver,” said Mammila.

Baroka remain rooted to the bottom of the table on 13 points and it does not get any easier.

They host high flying Cape Town City at Peter Mokaba Stadium on Sunday and need a big performance to register their first league victory since October 15.

“I think [at least] 18 points will do for us. To be safe, you need to have at least 30 points.

“I was calculating where we can get points and I came up with 24 points. That’s why I’m not worried.”