PSL coaching merry-go-round set to start

Bafana Bafana assistant coach Serame Letsoaka’s name has purportedly been featuring prominently in Platinum Stars’ boardroom.

Letsoaka, right, has long been tipped to take over from coach Allan Freese who oversaw the team’s MTN8 and Telkom Knockout cup competition victories last season, but his five-year commitment with the club has turned out to be difficult to fulfill.

Although it is understood that Stars have already made a formal bid to Letsoaka, the Bafana second-in-command will join the club as a technical director. Letsoaka looks set to leave the national team set-up following Safa’s decision not to renew Gordon Igesund’s contract.

Meanwhile, Belgian coach Tom Saintfiet has reportedly taken over the reins as head coach of Free State Stars. The 41-year-old started coaching at the age of 24 and was caretaker coach of the Malawi national team last year. Ea Lla Koto narrowly escaped the PSL promotional play-offs last season. Duncan Lechesa is the assistant coach, while Kinnah Phiri has reportedly taken on the position of technical director.

Maritzburg United coach Steve Komphela has reaffirmed to the Team of Choice that he is going nowhere. The philosophical Komphela was linked with a lucrative move to comeback kids Chippa United, but the deal crashed when Komphela was about to put pen to paper.

The former Bafana coach is now said to be heading back for national duty, this time assuming the position of technical director.

Sources at SuperSport United say coach Cavin Johnson will not be leaving the club this season. This comes after reports suggested that the outgoing Bafana coach Gordon Igesund will be relocating to Tshwane.

Igesund has strongly refuted these insinuations, adding that he still wants to honour his contract with the national team to the letter.

In transfer news, midfielder Njabulo Manqana has officially parted ways with AmaZulu and could be heading to Platinum Stars this season. Manqana was set to sign a new contract with Usuthu but could not agree on financial terms and Dikwena are said to be monitoring the player.