Hlokomelo Mabogale |
After Mamelodi Sundowns taking bread out of the Kaizer Chiefs’s mouth, the team decided to go separate ways with the coach Ernst Middendorp. Sundowns won the ABSA 2019/20 in the last game of the season while Chiefs was in charge of the log for more than 10 months. This did not sit well with the Amakhosi nation.
The Glamour Boys as they are known ,announced on Wednesday that indeed the German coach has left the club with immediate effect. In a statement, Chiefs said “After reviews conducted by Kaizer Chiefs Chairman Kaizer Motaung and the club’s management, Amakhosi have decided to part ways with coach Ernst Middendorp with immediate effect.” Middendorp joined the Naturena Village on 7 December 2018. In his first six months in charge, he took Amakhosi to ninth position on the Absa Premiership table and reached the Nedbank Cup final.
Motaung also said that they deliberated and considered many aspects related to the team, including the club’s way of playing, performances and the results before coming to the decision.
“We truly believed and hoped that our 50th anniversary year would be better, and it indeed looked promising. The decision taken is part of a strategy to have the team win trophies again and to make our supporters happy because they deserve better.” He said.
“After giving the coach and the technical team the ammunition required to compete in the new season,” Motaung adds, “there were some improvements, and this was evident during the first seven months of this 2019/2020 season.
Chiefs showed bad performance during the start of the season from lockdown and this too, did not sit well with Motaung and Chiefs family.
Motaung thanked Middendorp for his efforts and work: “We wish him all the best for the future.”
New coach? Motaung said the players are given time off after a grueling completion of the season and will return before the end of September to start preparing for the 2020/21 season and new coach will be announced before the team returns for pre-season training.
