Did Notwane blunder in sacking Kofi?

TSHEPO MOLWANE
Staff Writer | Wednesday February 10, 2010 00:00

 

It took 13 games for Toronto to get their first win, a 1-0 triumph over Jwaneng Comets in December at the Galaxy Stadium. This happened under the tutelage of little known Ghanaian tactician Ernest Kofi. Though the coach stemmed the tide swamping Toronto, reports started emerging that the officials were not happy that the Ghanaian 'lied' to them about his qualifications. But to supporters, this did not matter as Kofi was performing where others had miserably failed. Supporters who had been keeping away from Notwane matches started returning to the stadiums and cheering their side.

But when everyone seemed to be happy with the performance, the club's committee took a strange decision on February 26. Kofi was fired and immediately replaced by former Gaborone United (GU) head coach Luke Masomere. The decision surprised the football community and was discussed extensively in the malls and media but the club's officials stuck to their decision. 'The coach was on probation which ends on February 11 and when we met to decide his future, the management decided that we should not engage him on a permanent basis. The move might come as a surprise to many because he guided us to our first win last month (December) when we were struggling. But sometimes, winning alone does not guarantee one's future and it is quite unfortunate that we had to come to the decision of parting ways with him. We are in the last lap of the league where we need to ensure that everything is in place so that we do not relegate,' said Notwane spokesperson, Andrew Mokgatlhane at the time.

Though he has been appointed head coach, Masomere is still to sit on the bench as he is waiting for his work-permit. But he takes the players through their paces during the week at their training ground. After the sacking of Kofi, Toronto were held to a disappointing goalless draw by TAFIC in Molepolole with Masomere calling the shots from the shots. The coach was seen passing instructions to his assistant Fabian Zulu through the cell phone during the game. The Coca-Cola Cup loss to First Division side, Prisons XI further raised more questions whether the decision to let Kofi go was right. Then came last weekend's 2-1 defeat at the hands of visiting Jwaneng Comets in Molepolole. This seemed to have been the last straw for some Notwane supporters. They are running out of patience and the sooner Masomere starts winning the better.

Yesterday, Notwane spokesperson Mokgatlhane pleaded with supporters to remain calm and give the coach the necessary support. 'For every change, it takes time for things to get back to normal. The coach is still trying to settle down and we're giving him the necessary support. It is a pity that it has taken time for his paper work to be sorted out but we hope that in our next game, things will be fine,' he said. Having been eliminated from the Coca-Cola Cup, Toronto will have no game this weekend and will only face Uniao Flamengo Santos on February 19.

Mokgatlhane said that it is important for the supporters to continue having faith in the committee. He admitted that firing Kofi when the team was doing well might have been untimely but they remain confident that it was worth it. 'We have a young squad and we wanted to have someone (coach) who would build a strong side for the future,' Mokgatlhane pointed out.

Masomere refused to comment saying that he is not an employee of Notwane. 'That is why you have not seen me on the bench during their games,' he added. As things stand, Chris Rabalago and Zulu would continue sitting on the bench as the work permit for Masomere is being processed. But whether Notwane's committee has taken the right decision in appointing Masomere, only time will tell.