JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA – NOVEMBER 18: Steven Pienaar of Wits during the Telkom Knockout Semi Final match between Bidvest Wits and Kaizer Chiefs at Bidvest Stadium on November 18, 2017 in Johannesburg, South Africa. (Photo by Lefty Shivambu/Gallo Images)
With agent Rob Moore having suggested Steven Pienaar as a possible solution for the AmaZulu job, Siya sources informed the crew why Usuthu chose the duo of Arthur Zwane and Vusumuzi Vilakazi over the former Bafana Bafana captain.
With AmaZulu recently parting ways with coach Pablo Franco Martin after 15 months at the helm, a plethora of CVs are believed to have landed on club President Sandile Zungu’s desk; however, the club, according to insiders, were quite clear on what they wanted for the man at the helm.
Insiders have informed the Siya crew that a massive priority for Usuthu was a local coach as their top target, while a foreigner with vast knowledge of the Betway Premiership would be considered.
It is for this reason that the KwaZulu-Natal club honed in on Benni McCarthy, who is currently a free agent after parting ways with Manchester United in June, having spent two years at Old Trafford. However, McCarthy’s long-term agent Moore informed the Siya crew that there was ‘no chance’ of McCarthy making a return to the club.
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The 46-year-old spent one-and-a-half seasons at AmaZulu, leading them to their best-ever, second place PSL finish, and leading them to the CAF Champions League only to be fired a few months later.
Instead, he recommended McCarthy’s former Bafana Bafana teammate Steven Pienaar, who is a UEFA Pro license holder and is currently working in the United Arab Emirates at Sharjah FC, where he is the club’s u15 coach.
Moore believes that the former Bafana captain can do a good job at Usuthu, but sources close to the club have stated that the 41-year-old’s lack of senior coaching experience left the club’s hierarchy skeptical over whether he is capable of leading the team out of their precarious situation.
Instead, Usuthu hired the duo of Vilakazi, who was the club’s DStv Diski Challenge coach, as well as Arthur Zwane who was a Chiefs youth coach and senior team team. The young duo tick all the boxes of what AmaZulu were looking for and are the chosen ones to lead the club away from the bottom of the Betway Premiership. Time will tell if these were the best decisions by Usuthu.
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