Chiefs set to appoint Mafu as coach
Kabelo Boranabi | Tuesday August 9, 2016 14:16
“Mafu is one of the guys we have considered. He has all the credentials needed to coach in our league. However we have not signed anything yet.
We are in advanced talks with him and if everything goes according to plan we will surely appoint him as our coach.” Mogomotsi told Mmegi Sport yesterday. Mafu had a feel of local football when he led Chiefs to the Regent Matebejana Cup glory over the weekend. “The tournament came in handy. It came at a time when we wanted the coach to have a feel of local football.
We will not put him under any pressure. We just want him to develop the young players and play in line with the strategies with have as a club. So far I would say we have been impressed with the work he puts in,” he said.
For his part Mafu also said he has not tied any contract with Chiefs but remains optimistic that they will conclude the negotiations soon.
“I haven’t signed anything yet but I am enjoying my time here. I have come to work with Chiefs to showcase what I can do. My philosophy is that I want the players to work for one another and to pass the ball around,” he said.
“I think as the technical team one of our jobs is to motivate the team first and we should understand that we are football first. Unfortunately we do have a life. These youngsters need to know that playing in the Premier League of any country is very important. I am looking for youngsters who will have the drive to play for the Zebras,” he said.
Mafu also said he has been impressed with the technical setup at Chiefs despite having to work on a minimal budget. “We have a complete technical setup despite the budget.
I am from a big team in Zimbabwe and I’m experienced now. I have learnt how to work with people. When I came from England I was naïve,” he said.
Mafu has had a stint with Gaborone United, before leaving for England for 16 years. He holds a UEFA A licence he acquired in England, a German A licence and a Zimbabwe coaching licence. The 50-year-old led Zimbabwean league giants Highlanders, where he was dismissed after a string of poor performances resulting in fans calling for his head in September last year, with only 10 games to go before the end of the season.
Meanwhile Mogomotsi also confirmed that they are assessing former Township Rollers duo Jerome Ramatlhakwane and Noah Maposa, together with trialists Remington Masuku and Stanley Ngala. “We want to merge a group of youngsters, experienced players and foreigners to form a formidable team. As of now we have not concluded our negotiations with the players,” Mogomotsi said. Innocent Morapedi has been roped in as an assistant coach after leaving the team in 2013 following the arrival of the Serbian mentor Dragojlo Stanojlovic.