Siviwe “Chippa” Mpengesi, the notorious owner of Chippa United, has not “turned over a new leaf,” if the football rumour mill is to be believed.
Following his recent departure from All Stars FC, Morgan Mammila may be on the verge of rejoining the Chilli Boys.
When Mpengesi signed football legend from the Eastern Cape Daine Klate to lead his team at the beginning of the season as well as four-time league champion Gavin Hunt at the start of the previous season, there were prior claims that he had “turned over a new leaf.”
It turned out to be incorrect with Hunt since he was only in control of the team for one season, and it may soon become evident that Klate is also in the wrong.
Chippa are stuck at the bottom of the log after six games. They have five points and have won only one of their league games so far. They could be in store for yet another relegation struggle if changes are not made.
Chippa’s issues are actually not Klate’s or any of their several past coaches’ faults. It is more the result of poor ownership choices.
Players will find it challenging to sustain confidence, which will transfer into ineffective performances on the field given that the club has never had a strong financial foundation and that the squad often changes coaches and tactical approaches.
One of the jokes of South African football is undoubtedly Chippa. Mpengesi would learn from Stellenbosch FC if he wanted to create a well-functioning machine.
Although Stellies are not among the top teams in the area, they have been operated better recently than the bulk of clubs around.
The fact that the team has remained loyal to coach Steve Barker is one of the main factors contributing to their excellent progress.
The longest-tenured coach in the top division, Barker has been in charge of the Western Cape-based team since 2017.
The majority of teams would have fired him two seasons ago since Stellies spent a significant portion of the season on the verge of relegation. Last season, Stellies finished fourth, demonstrating that they had indeed learned from their errors.
Although the current season has gotten off to a bad start, it is doubtful that they would fire Barker without allowing him a reasonable amount of time to turn around the club’s fortunes.
All owners who are trigger-happy, like Mpengesi, need to understand this. They must do thorough club scenario analyses and assign coaches realistic deadlines for problem resolution.