Motang to lead Gunners

Boitumelo Khutsafalo | Thursday March 6, 2014 08:38

 

Gunners’ management held a meeting on Monday to map the way forward and decided to rope in Motang, a former Zebras’ goalkeeper coach. Motang has been acting as an assistant coach to Sithole this season.

He joined Gunners this season after falling out with his former club, Township Rollers where he was the goalkeeper coach. “We have decided that Thabo (Motang) takes over until the end of the season.

We will evaluate at the end of the season and see what we can do,” Gunners’ secretary, Mosimanegape Seitshiro told Mmegi Sport yesterday. Seitshiro said it would not have been wise to get an immediate replacement for Sithole outside the club set-up.

“He would have brought a different philosophy altogether and at this stage of the league as well as our situation on the log, it would not have been wise,” he explained. Motang’s first assignment as interim head coach this Friday in a must-win match against FC Satmos in Selebi-Phikwe.

Gunners are currently lying in position 12 with 22 points from 22 matches. Under Sithole, Mapantsula have been struggling though recently they have shown strong signs of revival and his resignation came as a shock.

“We were all surprised, even the players because they were not expecting such kind of news (Sithole’s resignation) but we have to appreciate that these things happen and life has to go on,” Seitshiro said.

Sithole joined Gunners this season following the departure of Odirile ‘China’ Matlhaku who also went to Chiefs as assistant coach.

He is said to have signed a two-year contract with Chiefs to replace Serbian, Dragojlo Stanojlovic, who left a fortnight ago. Sithole is credited with laying the foundation that finally saw Chiefs break the jinx of never winning a major title.

Although he left before winning a title, he is seen as the man who built Chiefs to become the dominant force in local football. Sithole has coached two other big guns, Township Rollers and Gaborone United.