Alex football fires its technical director
ALEXANDRA – The Alexandra Northrand Local Football Association is looking for a new technical director after parting ways with Tsietsi Letsoela.
The Alexandra Northrand Local Football Association has fired its technical director, Tsietsi ‘Tsivo’ Letsoela, along with his assistant, Eric Paul.
This was announced by the secretary-general of the association, Mafika Morajane, who said the association was in the market for a new technical director and his assistant to fill the vacant posts.
Although Morajane would not disclose the reasons behind the sacking of Letsoela and Paul, his chairperson, Maisha Molepo told Alex News that one of the reasons why they decided to part ways with the pair was Letsoela’s continued focus and involvement in his own soccer club, to the detriment of the work of the association.
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Molepo said Letsoela, who owns Alex Young Lions Football Club, formerly Moroka Lions, had been warned on numerous occasions to relinquish his coaching duties at his club, but this allegedly fell on deaf ears and the association had no choice but to ask him to vacate the technical directorship position.
Molepo claimed Letsoela’s continued coaching involvement with his club had cost the association’s teams in the recent Engen Cup preliminary qualifying rounds and the Mayoral Cup, including other inter-local football association competitions in the Safa Johannesburg Region.
In one of the games of the Mayoral Cup, Molepo alleged Letsoela had failed to assemble ‘a credible squad of the association to represent Alexandra and then opted to use players from his own club to go and do duty, and they were badly embarrassed in those games’.
“This was unacceptable and the association felt strongly aggrieved. This became the proverbial act that broke the camel’s back and the association decided to part ways with him,” Molepo said.
As for his assistant, Paul, a school teacher in Alex, Molepo said he was also asked to vacate his position because of his failure to step in and take charge when Letsoela was not available.
“We are not sure what his role really was as he failed to take over from a ‘busy’ Letsoela. One would have expected him [Paul] to step in and take charge whenever Letsoela [was not available] but this never happened,” Molepo said.
But Letsoela has denied ever sacrificing the work of the association in favour of his club. “This is all a lie as my club suffered badly during my tenure as technical director. It [the association] hasn’t performed as well as it should have because of my absence,” Letsoela said.
He added that he’d lost eight of his most talented players at Alex Young Lions because the team was in disarray. “My sacking could be a blessing in disguise as I will now be able to pay full attention to the development of my club,” he added.
Letsoela also accused Molepo of alleged interference in the selection of players. He said the very same players he and Paul had selected for their own squad turned up for other teams in the various tournaments. He added that this needed to be addressed by the association.
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