For two of Soweto’s great footballing institutions, Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs, the coaching succession debate is over.
Chiefs have chosen Muhsin Ertugral, with whom they won seven trophies, including their most illustrious, the African Cup Winners’ Cup (Mandela Cup). He was at the club between the 1999/2000 and 2002/03 seasons. He succeeds the little-lamented Ernst Middendorp, who has been blamed by many for messing up the confidence of the Amakhosi players.
Pirates have given Bibey Mutombo another term in office, despite him being one of the least-loved coaches to have coached the Orlando side in all their 70 years.
Chiefs take the first steps to reclaim some lost pride when they take on England’s Tottenham Hotspur at Durban’s Absa Stadium this weekend. This is the first of four Vodacom Challenge matches. Pirates’ turn comes next Tuesday in Cape Town and the Soweto derby follows on Thursday to determine who will meet Spurs in the final, which will be played at Pretoria’s Loftus Stadium the following Saturday.
Under normal circumstances, Ertugral and Mutombo might get away with asking their fans not to seek too much from these off-season friendlies, which aim to assess the fitness levels of the players and test new acquisitions. But these are not normal circumstances.
The Soweto sides have lost a lot of ground and are probably worried about being overtaken by Mamelodi Sundowns as the benchmark setters.
The Vodacom Challenge is, therefore, essential to reassure the long-suffering faithful that the bosses in the air-conditioned offices are as concerned about the parlous state of affairs as the fans are.
Ertugral has a relatively easier ride. It is unfathomable for a Kaizer Chiefs side not to make the top eight for two seasons in a row. The fact that Chiefs lured him from what looked like a comfortable space coaching Ajax in Cape Town suggests that the Turkish-born German has carte blanche over how things shape up at Chiefs.
The sober Kaizer Motaung regime knows Ertugral will need time to bridge the gap left by the departures of goalkeeper Rowen Fernandez and playmaker Siyabonga Nkosi — both to German side Arminia Bielefeld.
Having observed the most obvious of Chiefs’ undoing in the last campaign — old legs and extinguished passion among key players — Ertugral has a lot of ground to cover. He has begun by promoting deserving youngsters and signing young players from amateur sides.
He can afford to lose the two matches in the tournament without losing any sleep. The same cannot be said for Mutombo. The Pirates faithful seem to have lost patience with the Congolese-born Belgian because of his decision to discard aesthetics and go for utility when the club experienced its worst run since the formation of the Premier Soccer League.
Ertugral, speaking at the media conference to welcome the tourists on Thursday, was not bothered about what happened at Chiefs last season. He blames everything that is wrong with Chiefs on his predecessor.
But if he were to look at his previous tenure at Chiefs, he would know that his triumphalist attitude is out of kilter with the realities of the job.
He was at the helm the only other time Chiefs failed to make the best eight in the league, the 2001/02 season. Things appeared headed in the same direction when management decided to entrust his then very junior assistants, Doctor Khumalo and Ace Khuse, with the rescue mission the next season. Chiefs finished sixth.
If fans had their way, Mutombo would not have returned. Beyond the unforgivable sin of playing a defensive and uninspired game, he accused the crowd favourites of ill-discipline, only to be contradicted by the club officials.
In Mutombo’s favour is that Pirates chair Irvin Khoza is behind him all the way. This was demonstrated when the club hired Mutombo’s preferred candidate, Chris O’Loughlin, as an assistant coach over former captain and present assistant Papi Khomane. The decision was against club policy of having a home-grown face in the technical team.
Speaking at the club’s player awards, Khoza reiterated that Mutombo had met his brief last season — he saved the club from an embarrassing relegation battle — and finished in what other clubs would call ”a respectable” fifth position.
But Mutombo, even with his difficulties with English, would have heard Khoza referring to the decision by Real Madrid to fire coach Fabio Capello days after returning the La Liga to the Spanish capital after four barren seasons. Khoza said that, despite the success, Capello had lost his job because Madrid wanted ”a more enthusiastic way of playing”.
Khoza might have been merely repeating Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon’s words when he said Capello lost his job because of the high demands of the club. Or was it a subtle message for Mutombo?
It appears that Mutombo does take a hint. He mixed no words, stating that the fans would see a Pirates side playing entertaining football while not abandoning the fighting spirit that was the hallmark of his first season.
But as Martin Jol said on Thursday, Spurs are not here for a holiday. The two South African club coaches know they will be tested.