Local coaches are ignored - Makwengwe
Kabelo Boranabi | Friday March 15, 2019 13:15
In a competition that has been dominated by foreign coaches, Portuguese, Miguel da Costa clinched the honours as Makwengwe became the third local coach to lose in the tournament’s final after Ecco City Greens’ Atshele Molapi and BDF XI’s Letang Kgengwenyane in 2012 and 2013 respectively.
David Bright remains the only home bred coach to have won the prestigious competition as he achieved the feat with The Reds in 2013. Speaking after the final, Makwengwe said the tournament would continue to elude local coaches as they are being sidelined in ‘big money’ moves.
“The local coaches are not getting the recognition they should. They are seen as not deserving the big money from the rich teams; they cannot blossom, I cannot blame them. I do not blame the teams also because they need the quality, but I don’t know how we are going to be quality if you are not given a chance.
I thank GU because even if they have big players, it is not easy for them to (go) for an expatriate,” he told Mmegi Sport. His counterpart, Da Costa said out of respect, he would not speak about other coaches.
On the night, the Galaxy Stars shone brighter, becoming the tournament’s best side courtesy of goals in each half from Thero Setsile and Atisang Batsi. The team became the first ever to win the cup twice at the country’s largest sporting venue.
The final became the lowest scoring in eight editions but Galaxy kept the first ever-clean sheet in the final, their fourth of the competition a feat that neither of the previous winners has achieved while Moyagoleele is the first side to fail to score in the final.
Setile’s 14th-minute strike on the night took him level with four other players in Rollers’ duo of Tumisang Orebonye and Kamogelo Matsabu, GU’s Obonwe Maome and his teammate Tebogo Sembowa for the Yellow Boot. For five players with two goals each share the award, a record number, as the highest had been three in 2013.