'Mngqithi did not fit our philosophy'
Manqoba Mngqithi did not fit the footballing philosophy of Chippa United but the real reason for his sacking by Chippa United is no clearer despite an attempt to get to the bottom of the saga at a Cape Town press conference.
Club owner Siviwe Mpengesi offered a defence of his quick-fire decision, dismissing the former Lamontville Golden Arrows and AmaZulu coach after just two games in charge and which has tarnished the image of the newly promoted outfit.
“We only had 30 days before the start of the new season (after winning promotion) and we planned not to make big changes. But due to unforeseen circumstances we had problems with our coach Roger Sikhakhane and we realised we could not keep him. It was sad news for us,” Mpengesi explained.
“We had to make a quick decision to get a replacement as we were already behind in our preparations. That’s why we appointed Manqoba Mngqithi on a one-year contract but with an option to terminate within three months.
“After the first two games we decided Mngqithi was a good coach but found he was not the best person to lead us,” he continued. “We released him peacefully.”
But Mpengesi did not fully explain the impasse, but added cryptically: “We have a style that we want to play. We can’t start new styles, we don’t have time for that.”
“We could not wait for eight or nine matches before suddenly realising we had to make a change. That’s why we acted quickly. I believe we made the right decision.”
Mngqithi’s two matches in charge of Chippa United were a narrow 1-0 away loss in their first PSL game at Mamelodi Sundowns followed by a 2-1 home defeat to Free State Stars.
Julius Dube was caretaker coach for the third game, a 0-0 draw at Black Leopards that produced the club’s first point.
“I don’t want to talk more about Manqoba Mngqithi. He is not a bad coach but he was not a good coach for this team. I cannot explain it further. Only time will explain it,” Mpengesi added.
