Saturday | March 26, 2022

Introductory rituals tend to be more flamboyant in announcing football recruits than farewells which often end bitterly. Nowhere was this ever so familiar than when AmaZulu Football Club terminated the services of its highly acclaimed head coach Benni McCarthy on Fri. 25, 2022.

Club chairman Sandile Zungu said the coach was no longer in their long-term plans and had to bite the dust. This sad state of affairs was prompted by AmaZulu’s position nine on the Dstv Premiership League in full swing. According to Zungu, the club deserves to be in a better position than where it is at this juncture with seven games to the end of the 2021/2022 season.

To him and the club, there is no way that AmaZulu will finish in the top four this season as envisaged as it stands. Zungu was quick to stress that the idea of retaining McCarthy was part of the deliberations. However, the conclusion was that the club would be worse off if the current state remained with the technical team led by theSouth African former international striker.

According to Zungu, the club has a competent group of players who are good enough to be in a respectable position on the log. As such, AmaZulu are justified to cut their losses and release Benni McCarthy from his charges. In his words clarification of the matter, the club needed a breath of fresh air. The team’s assistant coach Siyabonga Nomvethe and the remaining technical team will complete the season.

McCarthy parts cordially with AmaZulu he joined in Dec. 2020 with much fanfare.

Zungu further said that the club has a permanent successor in mind and might be seen soon pitching-side on an observation role. This is to ensure that the new coach gets sufficient time to familiarise himself with the culture of the club and prepare for the trajectory for the next edition of the league.