Black Leopards Football Club has secured the services of rising soccer stars Elton Kapinga, Themba Ndlovu, Lethu Zwane and former Kaizer Chiefs Football Club midfielder, Chris Matombo.
The new players were announced to the media and members of the public at the club’s headquarters in Polokwane last Wednesday.
The cub also announced former Italian football manager, Stefano Cusin as its new technical director.
Cusin has signed a three year contract with the club and his responsibilities include building a structure from the development side to the senior team. He gained international prominence as a coach in France, Italy, Bulgaria, and England in Africa. He was most recently assistant manager of Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Football League Championship.
The 49-year-old Italian said he was looking forward to contribute to the club’s success. “I will be working alongside head coach Joel Masutha, his assistant Morgan Shivambu and physical trainer Giani Luca. I believe together we can bring about more success to the club,” Cusin said.
Matombo, who spent last season at Qormi Football Club in the Maltese First Division, said he was happy to be back at home and looking forward to the Premier Soccer League (PSL) season. “I am happy to be back home. I was actually born in Thohoyandou so this is my home team and I can’t wait for the first match of the season,” he said.
Managing director Tshifiwa Thidiela said all their home matches will be played at Thohoyandou Stadium. He said it was a way of thanking their fans for the unparalleled support they showed them last season.
“We enjoyed good support at the Thohoyandou Stadium last season. Our supporters in that area and surrounds were there with us from day one. They have been phenomenal and they deserve more football,” Thidiela remarked. The 2018/19 PSL season is set kick-off on the weekend of 3 August 2018 and the fixtures are set to be released in due course.
Story and photo: Herbert Rachuene
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