Khoza reveals even Igesund tried to resign after a few months in the Pirates' hot seat

Irvin Khoza would have “easily convinced” Muhsin Ertugral to stay on as Orlando Pirates’ head coach had Bucs’ chairman been given a chance, he said on Wednesday.

Ertugral publicly announced in his post-match television interview following Pirates’ 6-1 embarrassment at the hands of SuperSport United on Tuesday night that he would meet Khoza on Wednesday to discuss his resignation.

That meeting never took place as Khoza said he woke up to find an email from Ertugral sent at 3.30am early on Wednesday morning tendering the coach's resignation.

Khoza said at a press conference at Rand Stadium on Wednesday day he would have persuaded Ertugral to stay on if the meeting had taken place.

“I remember when Gordon Igesund won the league at Pirates he wanted to resign in October. I refused,” Pirates’ chairman said.

“I’m telling you [the media] that for the first time – ask him [Igesund]. And then he went on to win the league at Pirates. If I had accepted it he would not have won that trophy.

“I always give the coach the benefit of the doubt. I want to hear his point of view, or whether he is overreacting, or if I think there are things we can correct.

“Unless there are issues from his side that are pressing, where he feels his health is no longer safe.

“So I would have tried to persuade him [Ertugral] – all of them I persuade. Because I think it’s not nice to lose a coach at this time of the season. Especially knowing his challenges that are public information.

“We were willing to give the coach a chance because I think we are not perfect, all of us. With his [Ertugral’s] experience we thought that he would add value.

“But if he had given me a chance it would have been easy for me to persuade him not to resign.

“I always do my best because it always looks easy from the outside [to coach Pirates]. But when you come inside there is so much pressure.”

Khoza said he was breaking the news to the media before the players at Wednesday’s 1pm press conference at Rand Stadium.

Soon after Bucs’ squad and the remainder of their technical team filed into a meeting room, presumably to be briefed on their coach’s resignation.

This included Pirates’ development head, Augusto Palacios, who Khoza said he would approach on Wednesday to accept the caretaker-coach role while Bucs seek out a new head coach.

Ertugral’s decision comes as a surprise even after a 6-1 defeat. Bucs are in seventh place in the PSL after two wins, four draws, and just that one heavy loss.

They exited in the opening round of the MTN8 at the hands of eventual winners Bidvest Wits, but are through to the second round of the Telkom Knockout, where they meet Highlands Park at Orlando Stadium on Saturday.

  - TMG Digital