Soccer fundis differ on Polokwane City coach Jozef Vukusic departure

Polokwane City coach Jozef Vukusic has sent Limpopo soccer into a tailspin after announcing his departure from the club.

The Slovakian was credited with taking Polokwane City from the lower levels to number five on the Absa Premiership standings, and a spot in the coveted MTN8 competition.

But Vukusic dropped the bombshell on Tuesday 21 May, confirming to the mainstream media that he was leaving the Limpopo side.

The coach had indicated he was most likely to resettle back home, to be close to his family.

South African Football Association (Safa) Limpopo deputy secretary, Pat Seema, said he welcomed Vukusic’s departure in that opens up the door for a local coach to take over.

“I think this is a good time for a local coach to take the team to the next level,” he said.

He said while the Slovakian coach did well for Polokwane City in the last season, it was up to local coaches to grab at the opportunity to continue where he left off.

Social media soccer analyst, Jonas Motau, said the Slovakian’s departure was a great loss to South African football in general, and Limpopo in particular.

“He was one of the best coaches in the PSL especially taking Polokwane City to the fifth position in the last season” he added.

Development soccer coach, Mike Letlalo, said he was not welcoming of the sudden resignation.

“He can’t take the team to a good position and later resign. I just sense there was some differences between him and the Polokwane City management,” he said.

Vukusic has led Rise and Shine to an impressive fifth place finish on the Absa Premiership log standings for the 2018/19 season.

— The BEAT