Sinethemba Badela looking to turn Chippa United into a competitive force

Chippa United coach Sinethemba Badela is aiming to turn the club into a more competitive force as they begin yet another season with fresh leadership at the helm.

The Chilli Boys face a tough opening fixture. They host reigning champions Mamelodi Sundowns at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on Saturdya in a 3pm kickoff.

The Eastern Cape outfit last met Sundowns in league action in a match that ended in a heavy 3-0 defeat. Since then, they parted ways with former coach Thabo September, and now Badela steps in with the responsibility of guiding the club toward a more respectable finish this season.

Badela, who previously worked as an assistant and development coach at Sundowns, was also part of Rhulani Mokwena’s staff during their brief spell with Moroccan side Wydad Casablanca, which lasted just one season.

He believes that the experience he gained working under Mokwena has equipped him well for his first stint as a head coach in the top flight, and he is looking forward to the challenge ahead.

"It's been unbelievable to be mentored by coach Rhulani," Badela said at the Betway Premiership launch.

"To be by his side and learn from him every day — he has taught me a lot of things and how to win. Everything I know I have learned from him.

“He has supported me a lot, so I feel privileged to have worked with him, and I’m looking forward to taking this challenge at Chippa United.

"It's not an easy project, but I am excited about it. We are building a new team, and hopefully I can take everything that I have learned from coach Rhulani at Sundowns — because he is the one that brought me closer to the first team, he took me with him to Wydad — and hopefully I can take all those things that I learned from him and obviously also add some of my ideas.”

Coming into yet another season without the taste of top eight football, Chippa United are still searching for the consistency required to compete at the top end of the table.

The last time the Eastern Cape outfit managed to break into the league’s elite was in the 2015/16 season, and they’ve struggled to repeat that feat ever since.

Their reputation for making swift coaching changes remains intact — with September the latest coach to face the axe — but Badela says he's under no illusions about the demands of the job.

"If you ask any coach, it's a risk going anywhere because the only thing that keeps you in a job is the results," said Badela.

"I had good conversations with the chairman before joining the club, and he made it clear what he expects from me. And of course, I do know that when the results don’t come, the first person that gets looked at is the coach.

"I have to make sure that I protect my players every day, and also make sure I prepare them during the week, and hopefully when it comes to the weekend, the players will be ready to deliver.

"I am not afraid of losing my job, because sometimes you can still win the title or take a team from nowhere to a very good position and still lose your job. So for me, it's about what we put in every day and how to improve the players, and hopefully the results will improve."