HUNT’S BOYS NOT SO CLEVER
NOT AT THE RACES: WHY HAS WITS’ TITLE DEFENCE GONE OFF THE RAILS? Shattered coach admits they are in a huge dogfight.
These are troubled times at Bidvest Wits. The Clever Boys’ defence of their Absa Premiership title has got off to a dreadful start, and the tension in the camp was apparent yesterday as the club cancelled a scheduled press conference ahead of tomorrow’s meeting with Orlando Pirates.
Wits have yet to win any of their five league games thus far this season, losing three of them, with their heaviest defeat coming on Wednesday evening, as they were thumped 3-0 at AmaZulu. The Clever Boys are currently second bottom of the standings.
Striker Gabadinho Mhango was caught up in serious controversy at the King Zwelithini Stadium, as television cameras caught him spitting in the face of AmaZulu midfielder Michael Morton. The referee appeared to miss the incident, sending off Morton after he shoved Mhango to the ground in retaliation.
The Citizen, however, understands that Premier Soccer League prosecutor Nande Becker is looking into the incident, and Mhango could find himself charged by the league.
There is a precedent for this, as Morgan Gould was banned for two matches by a PSL disciplinary committee for punching Wits’ Getaneh Kebede in the face during a league match between Wits and Kaizer Chiefs in November 2013, after the incident had been missed by match officials.
Ill-discipline has haunted Wits this season, with Slavko Damjanovic and Nazeer Allie already sent off during the 2017/18 campaign, albeit for incidents nowhere near
as serious as spitting.
Wits have already failed in their defence of the MTN8, Gavin Hunt suffering the ignominy of losing three times to a man he gave a start to as a player in topflight South African football, new Cape Town City coach Benni McCarthy.
McCarthy’s City beat Wits in the league and then beat them twice in the MTN8 semifinals. Hunt, meanwhile, has also been sent off this season, in Wits’ MTN8 quarterfinals against Golden Arrows.
That match remains Wits’ only success this season, and even then they only came through on
penalties.
Wits have also been all over the place at the back in this campaign, a stark contrast to last season. Hunt’s side have conceded 15 times in eight league and cup matches.
“It is unbelievable,” Hunt told SuperSport TV after the AmaZulu game.
“You can’t concede three goals like this, and three goals in the last game (Wits also lost 3-1 at home to Golden Arrows), they have one or two passes and are coming right through us, from good attacking positions for us. It is something we need to work on – now we are in a real dogfight.”