WRITING dismissal letters has become Chippa Mpengesi’s favourite pastime.
Like a junkie, the Chippa United boss just can’t get enough of a “good thing”.
The man has probably lost count of the number of coaches he has hired since he founded the club.
19! That is the number of coaches Mpengesi has worked with in nine years?
This has to be some sort of a world record.
With nine months, Clinton Larsen became the second longest-serving United coach when he got the sack this week.
But does Mpengesi really care what many think of him or about his reputation?
What about the coaches who accept the poisoned chalice?
But there is more than meets the eye in the sacking of Cavin Johnson at AmaZulu.
And it goes beyond the appointment of new coach Jozef Vukusic.
How does a coach who saved a club from potential relegation gets dismissed for dropping seven points in three away matches?
Those with short memories may have forgotten that AmaZulu were docked points for defying the rulings of global sport bodies, Fifa and the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
And yes, that did not guarantee him an “evergreen contract” with Usuthu.
But the reasons used to end his tenure are open to conjecture. By the way, this is a club that splash millions on PSL statuses almost every decade but reserve a shoe-string budget for player recruitment.
As for Black Leopards, they felt emboldened by Chippa and AmaZulu to finally axe the dead-man-walking, Lionel Soccoia.
But as one coach puts it, “Coaches are under immense pressure to deliver. It’s almost a 24/7 existence and it’s not only their livelihood they lose but it’s the impact on self-esteem. They are very much in the public eye.”
In an era when long-term plans are overlooked in favour of instant results, this firing trend is hardly surprising.
- It is usually the scarce skills that force local clubs to go beyond the borders for expertise.
But it seems Mamelodi Sundowns are merely led by their penchant for European coaches.
Exactly what is the expertise that their new “head of academy and scouting”, José Ramón Alexanko, possess that many other locals don’t? Is the man another Erik Hamren?
Apart from two coaching stints in Romania, the Barcelona legend boasts of no track record as a scout.
Mzansi scouts should feel insulted that the Spaniard, who has no never worked on the continent, is being brought in to do the job many are equipped to do.
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Kgomotso Sethusha
on Twitter via @Kgomotsso
