Mamelodi Sundowns executive technical director Ted Dumitru has threatened to sue South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) football analyst David Kekana for suggesting on air that Dumitru was interfering in coach Trott Moloto’s job.
Kekana made the comments a fortnight ago during the first round of Sundowns’ matches against Haras El Hodoud, who the Brazilians take on in Alexandria, Egypt, on Saturday.
Kekana’s comments came after Dumitru was seen standing behind the team’s bench and telling substitute players to warm up.
”I’m waiting for advice from my legal team and we have informed the SABC of our intention. What Kekana said was defamation of character. People don’t understand what my role as an executive technical director is and just make assumptions and damaging statements without even asking,” said Dumitru.
Kekana is unapologetic. ”I have it on tape, Dumitru was interfering with Moloto’s job. He went to the Sundowns bench and gave them instructions, and if it was him [Dumitru] sitting on the bench, he would have punched the technical director. Moloto doesn’t need to be babysat, he knows what he is doing. Dumitru was not there when Sundowns won the Nedbank Cup last year.
”At least I had the guts to tell him that and I received calls from nine PSL [Premier Soccer League] coaches acknowledging me for that. Technical directors here in South Africa take coaches’ jobs and it’s only a matter of time before Dumitru does that,” said Kekana.
PSL coaches who spoke to the Mail & Guardian shared Kekana’s view that the appointment of technical directors was a ploy to familiarise them with the environment of the team before they took over from the head coach.
Roger de Sa, coach of BidVest Wits, said that when a club appoints a technical director it becomes unclear who is in charge of the team.
”I’m the head of my technical team and if my club was to appoint a technical director it would clearly show that they [the club management] don’t have confidence in my abilities and I would surely pack my bags and go.
”In football people have a nice and unique way of getting rid of coaches. People stop beating around the bush when they appoint a technical director. There can only be a technical director of a football academy, not the first team. By appointing a technical director you are actually downgrading your coach,” said De Sa.
In July Sundowns appointed former Bafana Bafana coach Dumitru as their executive technical director, a move immediately seen as undermining Moloto’s role.
Newly appointed Maritzburg United coach Gordon Igesund, the only coach who has won four PSL titles with four different teams, agreed with De Sa.
”That is how it is in South Africa and it has been proven. When a technical director is appointed, know that your job is on the line. The role of a technical director is confused here in the country.
”We create many positions here. In a team you would find a team manager, which is not the case in Europe. I’m the coach and the manager of the team. Technical directors locally have a say over the coaches and when things go bad they [technical directors] take steps backwards and fingers are pointed at the coach. Their role is confused locally. I wouldn’t allow such nonsense,” said Igesund.
SuperSport United coach Gavin Hunt, who has a Uefa A coaching licence, shares the same sentiments as Igesund and De Sa: ”It can never work here because people are confused about what the role of the technical director is. I see a technical director as a person who will take over the coach’s job. It is a pointless title to give someone. I’m totally against it.”
The dominant feeling shared by fans and coaches that technical directors are out to steal incumbent coaches’ jobs seems more apparent than true. Statistics show that instances in which technical directors have taken over coaching jobs are almost equal to instances in which they did not.
In 2002 the South African Football Association (Safa) appointed Jomo Sono as the technical director for Bafana Bafana after the 2002 Africa Cup of Nations in Mali. Sono then took over from Carlos Quiroz as Bafana Bafana coach ahead of the 2002 Fifa World Cup in Korea/Japan.
In December 2006 Orlando Pirates appointed former Democratic Republic of Congo national team assistant coach Bibey Mutombo as their technical director when Serbian Milutin Sredojevic was head coach.
In January 2007 Sredojevic quit as coach and was replaced by Mutombo.
Last season Black Leopards appointed Boebie Solomons as their technical adviser, overseeing German Hans-Dieter Schmidt, who was then coach. Solomons took over the coaching job when Schmidt was fired three months later.
Last season Dumitru was appointed technical director at AmaZulu, but was later replaced by Neil Tovey. Coach Clive Barker survived both appointments.
Igesund served as a technical adviser for Thanda Royal Zulu, who were facing relegation last season, and Eddie Lewis is technical director of Moroka Swallows.
Dumitru said people who believe they [technical directors] are there to take coaches’ jobs ”need psychological help”.
”This is a sick-mentality approach from our people and it shows that we are far behind other countries. I’m here to make sure that everything at Sundowns is world class. Big clubs like Real Madrid and Chelsea have technical directors, which is why they perform so well.”
Dumitru said the technical director’s responsibility is to advise the head coach on different aspects of the game and make recommendations where necessary.
The technical director is in charge of a club’s development and its scouts, reports directly to the chairperson of the club and to the board, enforces decisions taken by the head coach, ensures that the players needed by the coach are signed, is responsible for improving the standard of training and warm-up methods and improves the scout system of a team.
Dumitru said teams should have executive technical directors and modern training facilities to improve their standard of play.
”The role of an executive technical director is complex. Times change and we need to get the latest information to improve our standards. This information can come from sports sciences around the world and from other teams across the world, which one keeps contact with. Coaches cannot handle all of the technical aspects of a game on their own. We are not there to question starting line-ups,” says Dumitru.