NEWLY promoted PSL side Chippa United have appointed Steve Kompela as their coach.
While both parties were reluctant to confirm the move, with club boss Chippa Mpengesi evasive when questioned, the Daily Dispatch can confirm that Kompela will be unveiled as the new coach of the PSL returnees.
“I can confirm that Steve Kompela is one the coaches we are talking to but nothing has been finalised as yet,” Mpengesi said.
However, insiders say the deal has been signed and sealed but both parties cannot make the formal announcement as Kompela is still contracted to Maritzburg United.
Kompela will lead Maritzburg United in their final league match against league champions Mamelodi Sundowns at the Harry Gwala Stadium this afternoon.
After the match, Kompela will then be unveiled as Chippa United coach and will lead the former Cape Town-based outfit when they play their matches at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in the new season.
Chippa have just relocated to Port Elizabeth after being made a lucrative offer by the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro.
Kompela beat other coaches linked with the job at United, including Victor Bondarenko and Ted Dumitru.
Kompela could not be reached for comment.
But he will come to the club with a wealth of experience having once captained Bafana Bafana before playing in Turkey where he later served as sports commentator.
“Jola” as he is affectionately called by his clan name, is mostly associated with Free State Stars where he had repeated coaching stints before getting sacked following a string of poor results.
Since joining Maritzburg United he has rejuvenated the side, taking it to the semifinals of Nedbank Cup where they were eliminated by Orlando Pirates a few weeks ago.
He has also saved the KwaZulu-Natal outfit from relegation.
While Mpengesi was evasive about Kompela’s appointment, he was forthright about the departure of Serbian coach Vladislav Heric who helped his side gain promotion.
Mpengesi insisted that the Serb’s contract was not renewed after he refused to be deployed to another position within the club.
“I can confirm that we have parted ways with Heric even though we wanted to keep him but he turned down our offer to redeploy him,” he said.
Among the reasons Heric’s contract was not renewed include his insistence to use technical staff from the Vodacom League clubs instead of those from the PSL.
Mpengesi said Heric, who left former PE outfit Bay United under similar conditions, did not seem to understand the huge difference between the PSL and the lower ranks.
The Serb also did not want the Sundowns players currently on loan to Chippa United and according to Mpengesi that flew in the face of their deep rooted relationship with the Pretoria outfit.
“We do not want to reveal everything but all the players that helped us gain promotion were never recruited by Heric.”
He, however, commended the Serb, emphasising that his track record will help him secure another job.
Kompela to head Chippa
While both parties were reluctant to confirm the move, with club boss Chippa Mpengesi evasive when questioned, the Daily Dispatch can confirm that Kompela will be unveiled as the new coach of the PSL returnees.
“I can confirm that Steve Kompela is one the coaches we are talking to but nothing has been finalised as yet,” Mpengesi said.
However, insiders say the deal has been signed and sealed but both parties cannot make the formal announcement as Kompela is still contracted to Maritzburg United.
Kompela will lead Maritzburg United in their final league match against league champions Mamelodi Sundowns at the Harry Gwala Stadium this afternoon.
After the match, Kompela will then be unveiled as Chippa United coach and will lead the former Cape Town-based outfit when they play their matches at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in the new season.
Chippa have just relocated to Port Elizabeth after being made a lucrative offer by the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro.
Kompela beat other coaches linked with the job at United, including Victor Bondarenko and Ted Dumitru.
Kompela could not be reached for comment.
But he will come to the club with a wealth of experience having once captained Bafana Bafana before playing in Turkey where he later served as sports commentator.
“Jola” as he is affectionately called by his clan name, is mostly associated with Free State Stars where he had repeated coaching stints before getting sacked following a string of poor results.
Since joining Maritzburg United he has rejuvenated the side, taking it to the semifinals of Nedbank Cup where they were eliminated by Orlando Pirates a few weeks ago.
He has also saved the KwaZulu-Natal outfit from relegation.
While Mpengesi was evasive about Kompela’s appointment, he was forthright about the departure of Serbian coach Vladislav Heric who helped his side gain promotion.
Mpengesi insisted that the Serb’s contract was not renewed after he refused to be deployed to another position within the club.
“I can confirm that we have parted ways with Heric even though we wanted to keep him but he turned down our offer to redeploy him,” he said.
Among the reasons Heric’s contract was not renewed include his insistence to use technical staff from the Vodacom League clubs instead of those from the PSL.
Mpengesi said Heric, who left former PE outfit Bay United under similar conditions, did not seem to understand the huge difference between the PSL and the lower ranks.
The Serb also did not want the Sundowns players currently on loan to Chippa United and according to Mpengesi that flew in the face of their deep rooted relationship with the Pretoria outfit.
“We do not want to reveal everything but all the players that helped us gain promotion were never recruited by Heric.”
He, however, commended the Serb, emphasising that his track record will help him secure another job.
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