Exciting times ahead for City – new coach

CAPE Town City boss John Comitis says Jan Olde Riekerink is the right person to get the club back on track.

Dutch-born Riekerink was yesterday named as the new City coach, replacing Benni McCarthy, who was fired on Sunday after winning just two of City’s last 18 games in all competitions.

Comitis said: “Jan and I have known each other for a long time and I felt he was the right person to bring in and get us back on track and realise our goals and aspirations.

“We made contact on Monday and yesterday we put pen to paper.

“It’s a major coup for us and now to get on with the job at hand. He’s a proven coach having plied his trade in Europe and brings that knowledge to our talented squad, who are hungry to get back on the winning trail.”

Riekerink said: “I’m looking forward to working with John and the players who I’ll be meeting up with tomorrow (today). And then we take it from there.

“I know the style of play they are used to, which is to play attacking football, but I have my own philosophy and will be working with the squad in this regard.

“These things take time when someone new comes in but at the end of the day we will come up with a brand that will make us a force to be reckoned with.

“Exciting times ahead and a big thank you to John for bringing me on board.”

Riekerink began his professional coaching career as the head coach of Ajax Amsterdam in 1995. He left in 2002 to join up with KAA Gent in Belgium, returned to the Netherlands with FC Emmen, then was appointed assistant coach at FC Porto.

He reappeared at Ajax in 2007 and was appointed as their youth co-ordinator for four years before going back into coaching.

The 56-year-old made his way to China and spent four years helping out their youth structures, before joining Galatasaray in Turkey. He was last on the books of SC Heerenveen in the Netherlands.