Kaitano’s job at SuperSport Utd safe, for now

Zimbabwean coach Kaitano Tembo’s job is safe at SuperSport United despite Grant Hunt becoming available on the market following the sale of South African Premiership football club Bidvest Wits.

SuperSport United chief executive, Stan Matthews, yesterday addressed reports Hunt was set for a possible return to the Tshwane side.

Hunt will be available at the end of the season following the sale of Wits’ PSL status to Tshakhuma Tsha Madzhivhandila.

Reports have been linking Hunt to a return to SuperSport United.

“An interesting option but very difficult option for Matsatsantsa at this stage because of the club’s loyalty to Kaitano Tembo,’’ wrote Ernest Makhaya, the South African Chief Editor of the authoritative football website Goal.com.

“Tembo has served SuperSport with distinction in different capacities for over two decades, and it would be very difficult for the club to just dump him for Hunt at this stage.

“While Hunt has a very rich history with the Tshwane giants, he would still need to assemble his own team if he were to return to the club.

“That would mean dismantling the current squad which already understands Tembo’s philosophy.

“Furthermore, Matsatsantsa appear to have gone back to the basics of giving young coaches a chance to prove themselves – just like how they gave Pitso Mosimane and Thomas Madigage a chance years ago.

“And at this stage, it doesn’t look like Hunt will be an option for them unless the club changes its mind depending on where the team finishes on the log this season.’’

Matthews has now cleared the air and said although, as a club they will forever be grateful to Hunt for what he did for the club during his spell there, they are still happy with current coach Tembo.

“Gavin is an amazing coach who has a special place in our history books and would be an asset to any club,” Matthews told KickOff.com.

“But we have a head coach that we very happy with and we are certainly not looking to make any changes to our technical team.

“Just because a good coach like Gavin Hunt may be available now doesn’t mean we forget our loyalties and obligations to Kaitano, or anybody else at the club.”

Yesterday, the South African Football Players’ Union has stepped in to help protect the players following news of Bidvest Wits’ status sale to TTM. Tshakhuma Tsha Madzhivhandila announced on Saturday they had completed a takeover deal and plan to move the team to Limpopo next season, pending PSL approval.

Hunt reportedly found out through the media, and SAFPU president Thulaganyo Gaoshubelwe confirmed the union had now written to the PSL.

“With regards to the issues of Wits, we’ve written a letter to the League about all the clubs that are purported to be on sale,” Gaoshubelwe told KickOff.com.

“TTM, Real Kings, Bloemfontein Celtic, TS Galaxy, Wits and any other club that we are told will be sold, so we wrote to the League requesting clarity.

“We received a response saying they have not received anything formal in writing for them to engage.

“However, they promised us that the issues as they appear as we wrote them in terms of the clubs — whoever sells needs to… buyers and sellers going consent… would be taken to into consideration.

“The outstanding payments owed to the players would be paid and all contracts of the players would be respected, we are guaranteed of that particular issue.”

Goashubelwe said they want to make sure players were protected to avoid what happened when Mpumalanga Black Aces were sold to Jonh Comitis.

“We have been in contact with the players, we are talking to them, they need not feel threatened or intimidated, we just need to make sure we do everything that is proper and right.

“We are on top of this, we have addressed all the issues and we hope that all players’ contracts will be well take care of.

“This is a practice we’ve always spoken against, this is not the first time — when Mpumalanga Black Aces was sold to Cape Town City we experienced the same things, players’ contracts, those who had to be paid for their relocation fees and what not.

“These are some of the challenges we need to confront but we are here to help the players and to work with them to see how best we can deal with it.”

TTM boss Mulaudzi said he didn’t intend to buy Bidvest Wits until the club was offered to him.

“Fact of the matter is Bidvest Wits was not being sold. It was never put on sale,” said Mulaudzi in an interview with Phalaphala FM. — KickOff.com/Goal.com