Benni’s a victim of circumstances

Coach Benni McCarthy and AmaZulu FC have decided to part ways, amicably,16 months into the former Bafana Bafana striker’s stint at the KwaZulu Natal-based club. Usuthu moved swiftly to announce former Swallows FC coach Brandon Truter as the successor to the hotseat, who will take charge until the end of the season.

It is safe to say only those who watch and follow the game wearing rose-colored glasses didn’t see this move coming. The signs were there and it was only a matter of time before things spilled out to the public. Truth be told, Benni’s second season at Usuthu was nothing compared to his first campaign, notwithstanding the few new faces that were added into his roster with the aim of improving the team’s fortunes. With the team having been knocked out of all the cup competitions they took part in this season, the only thing to play for was the league title, which, “let’s be honest, hey,” is as good as at the Chloorkop headquarters.

Now, if you go into the second season with a clear plan and mandate to do better than the previous season, where you surprisingly finished second – against all odds – having literally saved the team from the relegation threat and turned them into a formidable outfit, then early exit from any cup competition slims your chances, especially with the number one spot completely out of sight. Any piece of silverware could be used as a mitigating factor in your case to stay. The number one spot is the only better position than second, but we all know that Usuthu haven’t done enough to even get close to competing for the league title this season, which means they’ve failed on their mandate. Doing better than last season became impossible the moment coach Benni’s charges were eliminated from the group stages of the CAF Champions League, with their 2-0 home loss against Raja Casablanca as the final nail to their coffin. McCarthy lamented, after the loss, “If the club wants us to compete, then we have to look at our transfer policy. At the beginning of the season, I had said that we would need to strengthen our squad if we are to build on last season’s achievements… If we, as club, want to move to the next level, then we have to bring in players of a higher calibre than what we have right now. The boys gave it their all tonight, but couldn’t keep up with the quality of our opponents.”

Usuthu added Abbubaker Mobara and Sudanese striker Abraham Majok during the recent January transfer window period, but the pair hasn’t really impacted the team that much. If this doesn’t tell you anything about the coach going one way and the management going the other, nothing will. For the team’s management, it is clear to see that there was enough quality to surpass last season’s exploits, while the coach seems to be on a completely different level. That’s a recipe for a collision cause at some point, which is why the official parting of ways was always inevitable and it didn’t surprise some of us.

Before going into the finer details, let’s first establish the facts! AmaZulu had a record campaign last season and that spilled over to this campaign where they made history by not just qualifying but playing in the CAF Champions League and making it into the group stages, for the first time in their history. For the first time, Usuthu finished the season with their head coach walking away with the Coach of the Season gong. All of this, with the coach who joined them almost halfway through the season and worked mostly with what he had found at the club. No one saw any of these achievements coming and they can’t be overlooked. So, whatever you may say or think of the 44-year-old coach, you’ve got to put some respect to his name.

The downside to what happened to coach Benni is the simple fact that “we’ve seen this movie before,” this is not the first time he’s been in a situation like this. The same thing happened at Cape Town City, where he excelled in his first season and blew everyone out of the water, going on to win the MTN8, which was his first piece of silverware as a coach and a second trophy in three seasons for the then new Mother City-based outfit. Just like it was the case with Usuthu going into this season, that campaign was seen as only the beginning of great things to come from this young, up-andcoming coach who was clearly on the way to changing the coaching landscape in the country. Sadly, like it happened at AmaZulu, Benni’s stay was cut short at a club where he was revered and seen as the best thing to ever happen. Now, for the second time in his short coaching career, Benni’s first and second seasons have been like chalk and cheese! The common denominator? The coach’s vision not in synch with the club’s ambitions. Clash of ideology because one believes we need to spend more to get better, while the other believes we have enough to attract better things.

As much as no one is on the record about the Siyethemba Sithebe’s contractual issue at Usuthu causing tension between the coach and management, it sure was one of the reasons there is an enormous gap between the two parties. Benni wanted the player to continue to play and see his contract out, as he still had a role to pay in his team, but the management was on a different page as they wanted nothing to do with the player, who ‘betrayed’ them and signed a pre-contract with Kaizer Chiefs behind their back. Benni has also pleaded with his management to sign players, publicly, and lamented his lack of depth in the squad, which clearly ruffled some feathers. When you look at AmaZulu’s vision of challenging for honours and dominating the local football fraternity, are they up for it or are they just biting more than they can chew? You be the judge. Are they ready to challenge for honours both locally and continentally with the team they have? Did they walk the walk and talk the talk with their ambitions? Did they support Benni enough to achieve their goals? Is Benni just a good one-season wonder coach? Are we ready for a coach like Benni, who will always tell it like he sees it? These are some of the questions that come to mind but will never have the answers now, as only time will tell.

All that said, to see Benni and AmaZulu part ways is sad because these two parties, just like Benni and the Citizens, looked like a match made in heaven. A team under new ownership, full of fresh ideas, and looking to make a name for themselves and a coach who is making inroads into the professional fraternity. You can’t help but feel bad when things like this happen, but, like coach Kgoloko Thobejane once said, “Football will kill you real death.” Benni’s a victim of circumstances and a big loss for Usuthu!

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Cheers, VeeJay