Stars respond to reports linking coach Luc Eymael to Chiefs

Eymael is said to be the favourite to replace Steve Komphela, whose contract with Amakhosi is expiring at the end of the current season.

Speaking to the media on Tuesday, Stars general manager Rantsi Mokoena said the club had numerous meetings with Eymael where he assured him of his stay at Ea Lla Koto.

Mokoena, however, admitted that anything is possible in football.

“From our side, the years that we’ve been in football, I’ve learned that you can’t run your club based on rumours. And the rumour has been doing the most for a while now. It’s nothing new in as far as Free State Stars is concerned. Every time a player or a coach is doing well then for some reason the media starts selling the player even long before the club approaches us,” said Mokoena.

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“With regards to the coach [Luc Eymael] possibly going to Chiefs or not, only he and Chiefs have an answer to that. As far as we are concerned – the coach and the club – we’ve had numeral conversations. He’s very open to me and I’m open to him.

“We have a contract that we both respect. We know the terms of that contract, we know what it says. The fact that we constantly talk about Free State Stars, planning for next season, I’m confident that come the beginning of the 2018/19 season, Luc will be on the bench.

“But this is football and every time the window opens a lot happens in football. I can say with confidence that Luc will be here. But with the years I’ve spent in football, I have a room for disappointments,” Mokoena continued.

“I’m not necessarily saying he would move. I also believe that Chiefs, being a professional team they are, the relationship that I have with Chiefs, they’ll respect us enough to give us a call to say that, ‘We’re interested in this and that and how do we move forward’. I would not read about it in the newspapers, so that’s my take on the matter.

“He’s been poached by other teams, other than Chiefs, that I know of. I didn’t know from you guys [the media], he told me about it. He’ll come to our offices and say, ‘This guy called me’. He’s sometimes called in my presence and his answer is always consistent. ‘Gentlemen, I’m happy where I am, I want to achieve something here’. For us we take that as a compliment because it means that he has found a home and is settling quite well. I do not foresee him moving to any team, not necessarily Chiefs,” concluded the Stars general manager,” concluded the Stars general manager.

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