JOHANNESBURG, South Africa – Norman Mapeza agreed a deal to become the coach of ABSA Premier Soccer League side Chippa United for the next three years after receiving guarantees that he will not be sacked after a few games.
Chippa United have sacked 20 coaches in just six years.
Mapeza, who quit Zimbabwean champions FC Platinum last month, replaces caretaker coach Duran Francis who was sacked after just two games. Francis had been thrust in the hot seat after Clinton Larsen was shown the door only after five games at the start of the current campaign.
“It’s one of the major things that we discussed and there were some clauses in the contract that we were not comfortable with because we felt that they would leave the coach exposed,” the 47-year-old coach’s agent Gibson Mahachi told The Herald.
“We discussed those issues, including a clause where they had said they wanted to review the performance of the coach after three games, and we said that wasn’t feasible since the coach is coming into a side that already has players which he didn’t recruit and will need more time to understand the system and make decisions.
“They agreed to waive that and we also got some guarantees that protect the coach and, at the end of the day, we struck some agreement. The bottom line is that this is a results-oriented job and whichever way we look at it, whatever we say or want, the results have to be positive and we know that.
“Chippa United were intent that they wanted their man, they believe he suits perfectly into the kind of coach they were looking for, and it’s a chance for Norman to also go there and prove himself that he can make a difference.”
Chippa United have drawn four and lost four of their opening eight matches this season, their latest defeat a 1-0 setback against Bidvest Wits on Tuesday night.
Chippa have applied for a work permit for Mapeza and hope to have him in the dugout before their next match at Highlands Park.
Long-serving assistant coach Mbuyiselo Sambu has been put in charge of the team in the meantime by Chippa chairman Siviwe Mpengesi.
Mpengesi said on Mapeza’s appointment: “We are happy to have coach Mapeza and we congratulate him.
“Not only is he highly experienced‚ but he is also highly regarded by colleagues in the football fraternity.
“He brings a wealth of experience that will no doubt inspire the players and take the team to greater heights.”
Mapeza, a former Zimbabwe international and coach, won the league title back-to-back with FC Platinum.
