Look who’s shooting at Arrows
KWAZULU-Natal soccer sides Lamontville Golden Arrows and Maritzburg United appointed former Kaizer Chiefs coaches as their new coaches yesterday.
Prior to the appointments, Abafana Bes’thende parted ways with Clinton Larsen on Thursday, while Fadlu Davids was sent packing by the Team of Choice on Sunday.
Muhsin Ertugral will take over the reins at United and Steve Komphela will take over at Arrows.
Komphela resigned as coach of Bloemfontein Celtic yesterday morning to move to Abafana Bes’thende.
He did a great job during his stint with Celtic despite the barrage of challenges he faced at the club. Celtic are struggling financially, and at some stage some players were not getting paid on time.
United chairperson Farook Kadodia has handed Ertugral the mandate of taking the team out of the relegation zone.
“He is a seasoned coach who will know exactly how to deal with the situation we are in, to get the team out of the relegation zone,” said Kadodia.
Ertugral was jobless after leaving Ajax Cape Town in the National First Division a few months ago. The Team of Choice are at the bottom of the log with 11 points after 14 matches.
“He is an expert in promoting youth, so beyond saving us from relegation this season, his mandate is to bring through and unearth young talent, and to help the club maintain a top-eight position in the future,” Kadodia said.
Ertugral comes with a lot of experience. He has coached at clubs like Kaizer Chiefs, Orlando Pirates, Lamontville Golden Arrows, Mpumalanga Black Aces and Ajax.
He will face Komphela in his first Absa Premiership game on January 6 at Sugar Ray Xulu Stadium in Clermont.
Komphela’s appointment was confirmed by the chairperson of Lamontville Golden Arrows, Mato Madlala. “Yes, it is Steve Komphela,” Madlala said in a text message sent yesterday afternoon.
Abafana Bes’thende are 11th on the log with 16 points. Komphela will work with Mandla Ncikazi as his assistant coach.
The duo has a good working relationship. They worked together at Free State Stars and Maritzburg United. Komphela also wanted to bring Ncikazi on board during his tutelage at Kaizer Chiefs, but the move never materialised.
Komphela will be hoping to hit the ground running. Abafana Bes’thende suffered a 2-0 defeat against AmaZulu at King Zwelithini Stadium in Umlazi in their last fixture of the year. They have been inconsistent this season.
The Team of Choice also had talks with Komphela before agreeing on a deal with Ertugral.
They also considered Eric Tinkler, but the majority of the board members at the club were not keen on him.
United have only won one game this season in the league. That victory was against Celtic away from home.
They are yet to win at home this season. The Team of Choice are still searching for an elusive victory in front of their own supporters.
Last season they were cruising, finishing 4th on the log. They reached the Nedbank Cup final, where they lost to Free State Stars in Cape Town. They were also in the semi-finals of the MTN8.
Ertugral is expected to change the fortunes of the Team of Choice. He started working yesterday.
United will be looking to kick-start the new year on a positive note. They are separated by five points from the Abafana Bes’thende side they will face in their first assignment in the new year.
AmaZulu are the only team in KZN that have decided to stick with their coach in this festive break. Cavin Johnson is still in charge of Usuthu. He ended the year in a sparkling manner, winning the coach of the month award for November and December.
AmaZulu are 10th on the log with 16 points after 15 games. They were dealt a major blow when they docked six points at the start of the season after breaching Fifa rules, but they came back strongly after that setback.