(MENAFN- The Post)
MASERU – Bantu's chaotic season has gone from bad to worse with Thabo Tsutsulupa's agent threatening to sue the club if the new 'A Matšo Matebele' coach is not paid.
Over the last week, reports have swirled about Tsutsulupa being suspended because of Bantu's poor performances. The Mafeteng giants have won just one of their last four Vodacom Premier League matches and have slipped to 13 points behind leaders Matlama. And, even though Bantu have two games in hand, their title defence is on life support.
Although signs are pointing to the South African coach being on his way out, a nasty legal battle could arise if the club terminates his contract and does not pay him because his agent is threatening to sue, sources revealed.
The mess Bantu find themselves in is of their own doing.
When Bob Mafoso left the club at the start of the year, the club could have searched for qualified local coaches who could have stepped in for six months but, instead, Bantu's management went across the border and brought in a man who was sacked by Liphakoe just a year ago.
Tsutsulupa could not coach a team in the bottom half of the table but someone thought it was a good idea to hand him the keys to one of the biggest clubs in the country and the defending champions of the Vodacom Premier League.
Admittedly, Bantu enjoyed success in the past with South African coach James Madidilane.
Madidilane arrived in 2016 and brought joy to Mafeteng in his three years in charge, winning two league titles in what was the most successful period in the club's history.
When the South African mentor left in 2019, his assistant Mafoso was the most logical appointment because he worked with Madidilane during Bantu's successful run.
The change worked when they won the league in 2020 but when it was time to replace Mafoso, Bantu abandoned a working formula and went to get a shiny toy.
However, all that glitters is gold.
Yes, Bantu were not in top form when Mafoso left but they were still very much in the title race. It took Tsutsulupa just four games to take them out of the race.
Today, the champions are 13 points behind log leaders Matlama. 'Tse Putsoa' are showing impressive consistency and it is difficult to imagine which team is going to stop them.
Matlama also had to change their coach mid-season but they trusted one of their own to lead the team. Mothobi Molebatsi has led 'Tse Putsoa' from second place to the top and now they are running away with the title.
With games coming thick and fast, at some point those games Bantu have in hand will be useless because even if they were to win them, the gap to Matlama would still be seven points. Bantu would still be at the mercy of other teams.
In their four games under Tsutsulupa, Bantu have played against Linare, Sefotha-fotha, Lesotho Correctional Service (LCS) and Likhopo. The champions have won one and drawn three, collecting six points from a possible 12.
It is not good enough.
Terms 'plumber' and 'fishermen' are synonymous with South African football and they are used mostly to describe, belittle and insult foreign coaches.
It was first started by Gavin Hunt in 2019 when he was asked to comment on South Africa's coaching scene
“I mean, are you crazy? What are you doing, having a laugh or what? Then there's plumbers, electricians and fishermen. Whatever. We've got to believe in our own (coaches),” Hunt said at the time.
Since then, those words have become a phenomenon amongst South African fans and media who think they need to start believing more in their own coaches. Perhaps it is time we also believed more in our own products, after all, a lot of South African coaches did their football licences here in Lesotho, and some got their first big coaching jobs here as well.
I am not calling Tsutsulupa a plumber, but is he better than Thabile Secker? No.
He has not won anything in his life, so what qualified him for such a big job that he has now failed dismally to do? Something tells me Bantu did not trust him to do this job, which is why they gave him a six-months contract to see how he fares. Their swift reaction to remove him is an attempt to arrest the situation in the league that is now out of their control.
You should hear Tsutsulupa speak. He talks a good game but sets his team up like an amateur. Not only have goals dried up for him, suddenly a team that was the hardest to break down is shipping goals. Tsutsulupa's problem was tinkering with the team too much; in his own words“there must be a difference now that the coaches are not the same”.
Against Linare, their supporters and coach at the time, Tebogo Moloi, left the stadium feeling hard done by because they did not beat Bantu. LCS were gutted with their draw while Likhopo felt they deserved their point against the champions.
Bantu have become a team that makes others feel good about themselves.
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