T HIS week’s groundbreaking EYMAEL-GATE ruling must have surely left poor Luc Eymael feeling like a ping-pong ball.
In almost two decades as a journalist, never before have I heard
that a coach has been ordered to go back to a club from which he resigned. This
is what makes Mzansi football unique, if not loony in the bigger scheme of
things.
Rewind...9 March, Eymael announces his resignation from Polokwane City and joins Bloemfontein Celtic the following day. A week later, City lodges a complaint with the PSL Dispute Resolution Chamber (DRC) regarding the Belgian’s departure from the club. Eymael is then barred from coaching Siwelele.
Celtic then travel to Polokwane for a match and there’s a squabble and a fist
fight in the changerooms that is captured on TV. 18 April...PSL orders Eymael to
return and resume his duties at City. The following day, the embattled coach
submitts an appeal against DRC’S decision.
The case will surely set a rather interesting precedent – if not opening a can of worms. I can see club bosses rubbing their hands in glee.
Eymael dropped a bombshell and made damning claims against City’s chairman Johnny Mogaladi.
“My relationship with the chairman (Mogaladi) has broken down. I was no more comfortable working in the club. There was interference from the chairman. This is unfair. It’s inhumane. It’s against the law. I’m not obliged to go and work where my life is in danger. Everyone saw what happened on TV. There are rules in the country.
I have a family and I didn’t come to die in this
country!” said Eymael.
Those are loaded statements by the Belgian coach and need a response from the chairman. Approached for comment, Mokgaladi showed an unsportsmanlike behaviour and tackled our reporter from behind.
“I won’t help you sell your newspaper by commenting because I don’t get anything out of it. Don’t call me again,” he said and hung up.
THAT’S an arrogant and unnecessary response from a ‘Johnny-come-lately’ in the soccer industry. He may have money, but that’s not the way to reply to the media when they’re merely doing their job. We’ve dealt with respectful, astute club owners – not once have they responded to us as if we were trash.
The league has a Compliance Manual that needs to be adhered to by
all the PSL stakeholders – if Mogaladi is clueless about media etiquette, how is
he going to get his staff in tune?
Coaches have resigned and left clubs before. Cavin Johnson once resigned from Platinum Stars and joined SuperSport United. Dikwena bosses took him to court and a settlement was reached – he was never forced to go back.
Steve Komphela also left Maritzburg United in the middle of a contract and crossed the floor to Kaizer Chiefs. A resolution was also negotiated. Just recently, Roger de Sa resigned from Ajax Cape Town and joined Maritzburg United. He recently stepped down from Maritzburg.
