IN: WILFRED MUGEYI
FAROUK Abrahams, Chippa United’s longest- serving coach this season, becomes the fourth to have the reins snatched from his hands since the club got promoted to the Premiership.
Abrahams was replaced yesterday by Wilfred Mugeyi after three months at the helm of the PSL newbies.
Abrahams admitted that the club’s decision came as a surprise to him – just two weeks before the league resumes for the second half of the season.
“I still don’t know,” said Abrahams with a giggle of confusion.
OUT: FAROUK ABRAHAMS
But he did concede that a group of disgruntled players – about 12 whom he had wanted to place on loan, as they were not in his plans for the remainder of the season, were involved.
“The bottom line is that we are now in pre-season and this is silly season. There are about 12 players I wanted to release … I got a call to say some players had issues with ‘an unfair management’,” said Abrahams.
The former professional goalkeeper met the club’s general manager Wandisile Mbenguzana yesterday, where he was told that the club had found no evidence backing the claims of the players, but “the split in relations between [Abrahams] and the players would fuel fire” and therefore they had decided to let him go.
Club spokesman Lukhanyo Mzinzi’s response was: “Both parties respect each other’s credibility, and both mutually agreed to part ways. This was after a follow-up meeting with concerns about the relationship between management and players.”
OUT: MANQOBA MNGQITHI
Abrahams said he harboured no grudges towards the club nor the players responsible for his axing.
“I would be very angry if I did not believe in God. I just feel sorry for the guilty players. I addressed them before I left and asked them to refrain from doing the same to future coaches. If they have a problem, they must speak with the coach and not take it to management,” he said.
OUT: ROGER SIKHAKHANE
Mugeyi, formerly Ajax Cape Town assistant, now becomes the fifth Chippa coach this season with Manqoba Mngqithi, Julius Dube and Roger Sikhakhane all having been in the position for a month each before Abrahams took over in October.
Mzinzi said that the club had been after Mugeyi for the past three seasons . He added that he believed the side still had the potential to remain in the top flight .
“We have the players, and we have added some key players in the off-season ,” said Mzinzi.
