Death, taxes, and Chippa United changing coaches
Trigger happy: Chippa United owner and chairman Siviwe Mpengesi is known to pull the trigger and fire the coach as soon as he becomes unhappy with results. Photo: Ryan Wilkisky/BackpagePix
Image: Ryan Wilkisky/BackpagePix
Death and taxes. According to former American president Benjamin Franklin, they were the only things certain in this world.
Franklin, of course, lived between 1706 and 1790 – long before the third certainty in life emerged: Chippa United changing head coaches multiple times a season.
Currently, the Chilli Boys are under the tutelage of controversial Belgian Luc Eymael. But according to reports, the club could soon pull the plug on his tenure, a little under two months after he was appointed following the sudden sacking of Sinethemba Badela two games into the campaign.
Reports suggest that the club’s bosses, who are known to pull the trigger as soon as they are not happy with results, are about to pull the trigger as they are not happy with results.
In seven games under Eymael, Chippa have won just one game, drawn twice and lost four. It doesn’t make for pretty reading for the club, who are rooted to the foot of the Betway Premiership with just six points.
Having been in the top-flight since 2014, the club are one of the Betway Premiership’s longest surviving teams, which suggests they are doing something right.
However, with that longevity, they should have won some silverware. Instead, they have been one of the most unstable clubs in South Africa, often fighting to avoid relegation to the second tier.
Perhaps, the club should try exercising some patience with their head coaches. Since they were first promoted to the big league back in 2012, only two men – Dan Malesela and Kwanele Kopo – have been in charge of the team longer than a calendar year.
That’s not how you run a football club; head coaches need time to implement their ideas and shape a vision. Sometimes this takes time.
A good example of this can be found in the Cape Winelands, where Stellenbosch FC have had the same head coach since 2017. Because of that stability, Stellies have not finished lower than sixth in the league in the last four seasons.
If Chippa United are serious about shedding their reputation as the league’s coaching carousel, they need to look beyond quick fixes and start building something lasting.
The club has a strong following in the Eastern Cape. They also have the facilities, and the history in the top flight to establish a clear identity – but that can only happen if they stop hitting the reset button every few months. Until they do, the Chilli Boys will remain trapped in a cycle of short-term survival instead of long-term success.
IOL Sport
* The views expressed are not necessarily the views of IOL or Independent Media.
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