Hunt unsure if he still has a job
But chairman says outspoken coach has renewed contract with club
CONFUSION reigns over whether outspoken Supersport United coach Gavin Hunt will be staying on at the club after he sent out cryptic messages at the weekend.
CONFUSION reigns over whether outspoken Supersport United coach Gavin Hunt will be staying on at the club after he sent out cryptic messages at the weekend.
Hunt told journalists after United beat fierce Pretoria rivals Mamelodi Sundowns to win the Nedbank Cup title on Saturday, that his future with the club owed by the pay-channel was in doubt and he would meet with his employers to decide on the way forward today.
But United chairman Khulu Sibiya told Business Day yesterday that he had no idea what Hunt was talking about and had no knowledge of a meeting between the coach and club today.
“I do not know what he was talking about,” Sibiya said yesterday.
“Take it from me, there is nothing like that because Gavin renewed his contract (a few days ago) and he is staying with us.
“He has done very well for us and he is the best coach that the country has ever produced. We decided at a board meeting on Wednesday and he was happy with everything.
“So, I really do not know what this is about now.”
Moments after United beat Sundowns 2-0 at Orlando Stadium to lift a maiden Nedbank Cup title, Hunt was asked about his future and he suggested that nothing had been finalised with his employers.
“We are having a meeting (today) and am I sure I will be there .... hopefully, I hope so,” he said.
“We are having a meeting (with management), and ja, there is a lot to be discussed (today).”
Hunt was publicly rebuked by all his bosses last week for his role in United chief operations officer Jose Ferreira’s criticism of Vodacom’s R1bn, five-year sponsorship of Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs.
Ferreira said Vodacom’s decision to invest R100m a year in each club would hurt South African football and was not sustainable.
Hunt said that such financial muscle would make it difficult for any club to keep their players or even compete in the premiership against Bucs and Chiefs.
Their utterances sparked a furious response from Pirates boss Irvin Khoza and his Chiefs counterpart Kaizer Motaung.
Multichoice SA’S group CE Imtiaz Patel, Supersport CE Happy Ntshingila and Sibiya all distanced themselves from the utterances.
Hunt is believed to be upset at the stern reaction from his bosses and has steadfastly maintained his innocence.
Sundowns’ Dutch coach, Johan Neeskens, said he was not worried about his future after the club’s failure to win any silverware this season, culminating in the Nedbank Cup final defeat to United at the weekend.
The Brazilians have fired a number of coaches at the end of the season after they failed to win silverware over the past few years.
But the fiery Neeskens said he was so confident of his future career prospects that he was already looking forward to his second season in the domestic premiership after joining Sundowns last year.
“I am not afraid for my future because there are only two people who can decide about my future, it is myself and the president (Patrice Motsepe),” Neeskens said.
“I do not interest myself about what the club did in the past years because that is not my business. I do not even want to discuss that.”
Neeskens said he was looking forward to a holiday in Europe after his maiden premiership season and would return next month to plan for the next topflight campaign.
“I am looking forward to my second season here and I am leaving (yesterday). I am first going to Switzerland and then I am driving up to Holland. I have some business to attend to over there (in Holland) and then I am going to spend five days in Portugal. Then back to Switzerland and finally it is back to Johannesburg.”