Drama at Chippa United as coach Norman Mapeza quits the Eastern Cape premiership side

03 March 2020 - 06:19 By MESULI ZIFO
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Coach Norman Mapeza in Port Elizabeth.
Coach Norman Mapeza in Port Elizabeth.
Image: Richard Huggard/Gallo Images

Chippa United coach Norman Mapeza resigned on Monday night, just less than two days after steering the team back to winning ways.

While no-one was immediately available to confirm the news, TimesLIVE can reveal that club bosses and Mapeza were locked in a meeting which took hours as they tried to convince him to stay.

However, the meeting failed to resolve the impasse, which is believed to stem from a misunderstanding over the duties of the technical staff.

Long-serving Chippa assistant coach Mbuyiselo Sambu will take over the reins as the team prepares for a league clash against Bidvest Wits away from home on Saturday.

“Yes I have been asked to take over the coaching duties until a new coach is found,” said Sambu.

Mapeza resigned just after steering the team to a 1-0 victory over AmaZulu, breaking a five-game winless streak that piled pressure on him.

Chippa are 11th on the premiership standings, five points off the drop zone.

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