PODCAST | Hunt’s opinion should not be taken seriously: Mpengesi

Siviwe “Chippa” Mpengesi says Gavin Hunt’s opinion on the removal by the Eastern Cape club of Daine Klate as head coach seven games into the DStv Premiership season should not be taken seriously.

In a fiery interview, the Chippa United owner told Marawa Sports Worldwide Klate has not been fired, but will be redeployed at the club.

Hunt labelled the decision “a disgrace”.

“Look, that one [Hunt], you know even at Kaizer Chiefs why he was fired,” Mpengesi said.

“I don't know what a good player is for him. If you look at our goalkeeper, [Lloyd] Kazapua, he chased him away.

“In the 10 games Gavin Hunt coached, [Bienvenu] Eva Nga never scored a goal. After [Hunt] left he went on to score 10 goals.

“I think Hunt was raising his opinion, but I don't think his opinion must be taken seriously because he's got his own way of playing negative football.”

Mpengesi said his team showed "cowardliness" in their 1-0 DStv Premiership home defeat to Mamelodi Sundowns on Wednesday, so he had to remove Klate.

“When I watched the Sundowns game it was so sad because it was one-way traffic.

“It was a heartbreaking defeat. But not only the defeat, the cowardliness that we showed in the game. I spoke to the players afterwards and told them, 'This has to stop'.

“I'm not a guy who is afraid to lose, but let us not lose in a cowardly manner. You respect Sundowns as if you are not a PSL club.

“I don't have respect for Sundowns on the field, I don't have respect for Kaizer Chiefs or Orlando Pirates. That's why we compete in the PSL.

“So I was very upset. I tried to speak to my coach [Klate] and realised the language I was using was not something he could achieve within a few days, so I decided, as the chair, make an unpopular decision.

"It was not a difficult decision to take. He was not fired — we are going to place him in one of our departments.”

Mpengesi said the one game Chippa won under Klate, against Pirates, was “luck”.

“And also our goalkeeper. You have a goalkeeper who works overtime, you have defenders who work overtime, there's no midfield play, no striker play, it's one-way traffic. So I had to take that decision.

“Our people want to see three points. They don't want to see these good philosophies, they don't want to see the good English of the coach after the game or the coach wearing nice suits.”

Mpengesi said the football he saw in his team's 2-1 DStv Premiership win against AmaZulu on Saturday was such an improvement that he sees caretaker coach Morgan Mammila staying on permanently.

Mammila's appointment has drawn criticism, given he is a journeyman administrator who only recently completed a Safa entry-level coaching certificate.

Asked if that means Mammila will remain as coach, he said: “They say if it's not broken, don't fix it.

“Football is no longer about experience. On Saturday we were debating after the game with some of your colleagues [in the media] because some of them feel I undermine the league for placing a coach like Morgan Mammila in charge of the club.

“They feel he's not an experienced, qualified coach. With what I saw on Saturday, these guys are going to continue to do what I instruct them to.

“As long as we don't park the bus, as long as you are not afraid. So Morgan Mammila and [assistant coach] Siya [Gwambi] are going to continue now. And I've got a feeling they are going to do well in this league.”

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