Are technical directors part of the problem?

For many years, PSL coaches have not always felt comfortable working with a technical director, as they have usually been seen as people who are just waiting to take the hotseat. When Sebastien Migne parted ways with Gallants early last season, it emerged that he did not have a good relationship with technical director Harris Chueu at the time, which led to a disagreement at the airport and, subsequently, the axing of the coach.

In an interview with Soccer Laduma in 2021, Chueu said his role as a technical director included deciding the philosophy and system the club would use.

“Firstly, I decide the philosophy of football at the club. I decide the system of play and I also look into the training sessions. We design training sessions based on our next games. But I have just started doing my job properly now because the previous coach (Sebastien Migne) could not allow me to do my job.

“He (Migne) saw me as an enemy, rather than a co-worker. I get paid to be a technical director. When we don’t get results, I don’t have to wait until we fail. I was supposed to have intervened before, but we felt that because he is a foreigner, we should give him time to learn and know the players. That’s why we gave him the assistants (Mpho Maleka and David Mathebula) and that’s why I am here, so that we could help him. I even gave them a list of my responsibilities so that they could see that I am within my line.”