Bucs coach jumps ship
Khoza unhappy with the manner in which coach submitted unexpected resignation
ORLANDO Pirates chairman Irvin Khoza did well to hide his disappointment at Muhsin Ertugral’s exit, but said the coach’s sudden resignation was an unfortunate event.
In the aftermath of the 6-1 hammering at the hands of SuperSport United at the Mbombela Stadium on Tuesday, Ertugral offered to resign in the subsequent post-match interview.
The thrashing equalled the heaviest defeat inflicted on the side by Mamelodi Sundowns in a cup match in 1990.
Khoza took a dim view of Ertugral’s antics, especially with the fact that the now former coach sent an e-mail at 3.38am yesterday explaining his resignation.
It was Ertugral’s first league loss of the season.
Later yesterday, Pirates confirmed that Augusto Palacios would serve as the club’s caretaker coach.
“I would have loved that he engaged me first before he released his frustration. It’s the culture of this club that a coach makes a dignified entry and subsequent exit,” Khoza said.
“I’m quite disappointed because he leaves with the outstanding matter of the Edwin Gyimah incident at the Cape Town International Airport.
“There was an investigation and the coach was about to give us his side of the story.
“I always make sure that I give coaching resignations some thought and there have been examples.
“We saw how Roger de Sa took us to four finals and we still gave him a chance. It’s always important to give coaches a chance and I don’t think I’ve been given the chance,” Khoza said.
The manner in which Ertugral has jumped ship could easily be pointed to a case of a coach who has lost control of his changeroom.
He has a flawed man-management record and has butted heads with senior players in the past. This is explained with the success he has achieved with young sides as compared with his record with more experienced units.
Khoza laughed off any suggestions of a dressing room revolution that was set up to dispense with Ertugral, but seemed to be a aware the coach lacked a tactful manner to deal with the players.
However, the players looked to be relieved and happy when they left yesterday afternoon’s team meeting at their Rand Stadium training base.
“We’re fortunate here at Pirates that we’ve never experienced player power. When that happens, you know there’s something wrong with the players,” Khoza said.
“I’ve encountered this before when I was still secretary, and when players start a revolution, most of the players who do that, they’re often on their way out. There’s a place for those types of players in parliament.
“Muhsin’s temper is something we were aware of, which is why I can’t conclude on the Gyimah and the Brighton Mhlongo issues.
“That’s why I asked for an investigation because you can’t just say that this is the reason. You can’t just absorb those issues because there could be other issues at play. However, I don’t regret appointing him.”
In a statement yesterday, Pirates said: “The chairman has confirmed that Prof Augusto Palacios will take over the reins as the club’s interim head coach.”
Palacios steered Bucs to the second half of their league title in 2011-12 as caretaker coach. – Additional reporting by TMG Digital