OWN CORRESPONDENT & Reuters, Johannesburg | Tuesday 10.00am.
THE coaches of South Africa’s two leading club sides have quit within days of each other just three weeks before the start of the new season.
Romanian-born Ted Dumitru, who has spent almost 20 years coaching in Africa, resigned at champions Mamelodi Sundowns on Thursday, citing interference from one of the club’s directors in his work as the reason.
The shock resignation was followed by the announcement on Friday from Kaizer Chiefs’ coach Paul Dolezar that he was to leave after failing to agree a new contract.
Dolezar crowned off a successful spell, a day later when his team triumphed over the African Champions League holders Asec 2-1 to clinch third place in he inaugural Vodacom African Challenge.
Pirates beat Tunisian champions Esperance 4-1 to win the R500000 event.
Dolezar won successive Rothmans Cups as well as last year’s Iwisa Charity Spectacular.
Last season Sundowns pipped Chiefs to the league title, winning only on goal difference, leaving them runners-up for the second year running to Sundowns.
Dolezar said he was returning to Paris to be with his family. “I have no problem. Everything is fine. I enjoyed my two years at Chiefs,” he told a Johannesburg newspaper.
Chiefs chairman Kaizer Motaung, however, insisted he had not renewed Dolezar’s contract, and would named a successor on Wednesday. “He had a good two years with the club but I felt it could have been better.”
Dimitru will meet with Sundowns management on Tuesday for a clear the air session after his shock resignation last Thursday.
He said he quit because management had reneged on an agreement to replace certain first team with promising acadmey players.