South African DStv Premiership side Richards Bay FC delivered a nasty festive present for their Zimbabwean coach Kaitano Tembo after sacking him on Christmas Day.
The KwaZulu-Natal team are battling relegation in second-last place and have only picked up just 10 points from 15 matches having won twice, drawn four times and lost in nine games.
Tembo joined Bay in July having left similar coaching roles at SuperSport United and Sekhukhune United.
The final straw came on Saturday after Bay lost 1-0 away to Kaizer Chiefs.
Former Lamontville Golden Arrows boss Vusumuzi Vilakazi who joined the club as a “senior coach” last month, will take over as interim coach.
He will have a seven-week Africa Cup of Nations break to try to rebuild the team and their season.
“Richards Bay FC would like to announce the release of head coach Kaitano Tembo with immediate effect,” the club said on Monday.
“The club would like to thank the coach for his contribution during this season. We wish him all the best in his future endeavours.
“Senior coach Vusi Vilakazi will take over the first team until further notice.”
Other coaches fired alongside Tembo in the opening half of the 2023-24 DStv Premiership season are Brandon Truter (Sekhukhune), Molefi Ntseki (Kaizer Chiefs) and Shaun Bartlett (Cape Town Spurs).
