ANOTHER BOMBSHELL: Kaizer Chiefs appoint Ernst Middendorp
Kaizer Chiefs, just hours after announcing the firing of head coach Giovanni Solinas on Friday, made another shock announcement with the appointment of Ernst Middendorp to the position.
Former Maritzburg United, Lamontville Golden Arrows, Arminia Bielefeld, Chippa United and Bloefontein Celtic coach Middendorp returns for his second stint at Amakhosi, whom he coached from 2005 to 2007.
Middendorp appointed as new coach
— Kaizer Chiefs (@KaizerChiefs) December 7, 2018
Kaizer Chiefs can confirm the appointment of Ernst Middendorp as the new head coach on a deal for two and a half years.
Welcome back to the Amakhosi Family#HailTheChief #Amakhosi4Life pic.twitter.com/3ZHuXTSDaO
He returns to the Premier Soccer League having worked as technical director from 2017 for Bangkok United in Thailand.
Middendorp's appointment, like that of Solinas in mid-July, will raise eyebrows. He has had a chequered career.
He has coached in the Bundesliga, famously being voted Bielefeld's coach of the century on their 100th anniversary in 2005. He then joined Amakhosi in the 2005-06 season, won the 2006 Absa Cup and 2006 SAA Supa 8.
Middendorp was fired in March 2007, and Chiefs went on to a worst PSL finish of ninth in the 2006-07 season.
Middendorp spectacularly led Maritzburg from an almost impossible situation to being saved from relegation on the final day of the 2015-16 season.
He is credited by current Maritzburg coach Fadlu Davids - Middendorp's protege and assistant at Celtic and United - with having laid the foundations for the club's best season in 2017-18, finishing fourth under Davids and losing 1-0 against Free State Stars in the Nedbank Cup final.
Players who serve under Middendorp praise him for his technical astuteness and in-depth knowledge of all players in the PSL.
However, the coach's fiery, many would say erratic, personality, and run-ins with administrators, match officials and sometimes his own players have often been his downfall at clubs.