OPINION – Vilakazi exit shows there is no loyalty in football

There are no permanent enemies in football, and it seems as if there’s no loyalty either. Vusumuzi Vilakazi’s exit at Richards Bay has just highlighted the ugly side of the beautiful game. The recycling of coaches in the Betway Premiership doesn’t look like it’s about to end anytime soon. 

Having saved The Natal Rich Boyz from the dreaded relegation to the Motsepe Foundation Championship last season, logic dictates that he should be allowed to continue with his job. I guess the powers that be at the KwaZulu-Natal football club have other ideas.

Vilakazi and Richards Bay parted ways after disagreeing on terms of the new contact proposal. Brandon Truter is the new man in charge as the merry-go-round of coaches in the PSL continues. Bay chairman Jomo Biyela made a big promise after his team survived the PSL promotion-relegation playoffs two months ago. So happy with Vilakazi’s saving act that he claimed that, “if it’s not broken, then why fix it?” At that point, it looked like the former Golden Arrows striker would be rewarded with a new contract. 

Vilakazi has every right to feel aggrieved after preserving the team’s top flight status when they looked dead and buried. Not many coaches would have agreed to take up the reins at a team that is fighting relegation. Sometimes loyalty is a one-sided affair in football. I might not have all the facts of the new proposed deal that saw both parties go in different directions but this doesn’t look good for the club. 

I’ve got nothing against the appointment of Truter. I think he’s a good coach in his own right and good luck to him in his new challenge. However, I can’t help but think Vilakazi was forced out in order to make way for someone else and I can honestly say I’m not surprised. 

Writing on the wall

The writing was on the wall after it was revealed that Rulani Mokwena was offered the job before he joined Wydad Casablanca in Morocco.  It was clear then that Vilakazi wasn’t their preferred man to lead them ahead of the new season. In a perfect scenario where loyalty is of paramount importance, you don’t approach or play around with the idea of hiring someone else while you’re still negotiating a contract extension with your current coach. 

Vilakazi is the second coach to leave his post before even playing a match in the new season. Dylan Kerr has also vacated his position at Marumo Gallant hardly three weeks after being appointed.  As much as the relationship between Vilakazi and Richards Bay might have ended on a sour note, don’t be surprised if the coach makes a return to the team at a later stage if things don’t go well under Truter. We’ve seen this kind of movie play itself out before and like I said, there are no permanent enemies in football.