Bright rejoins Bay United

THATO KALA
Correspondent | Wednesday June 23, 2010 00:00

Bright retraced his footsteps back to Bay United after an unnamed businessman bought the South African club.The coach had his first stint in South Africa at Cape Town Santos. He left to sign a two-year contract with Bay United at the beginning of last season.

But the Port Elizabeth side was liquidated and Bright came back home and joined GU while still remaining contracted to Bay United. Reports from South Africa suggest that the new owner bought the club, including personnel still contracted to it.  GU confirmed they are searching for a coach after Bright's departure.

'When he joined us he had a two-year contract with them (Bay United) and when they went into liquidation, he came home and joined us.

Unknown to him, the people that bought the club bought it as a whole, meaning all the club properties and contracts now belong to them. So since he still has a running contract with Bay United, he reverts to being their coach.

They've since contacted us and said they want him back. There's nothing we can do unless we buy him out of his contract,' said GU secretary, Kagiso Sebele. The 53-year-old Botswana coach made a mark in South Africa when he led Cape Town Santos from 14th position in December 2007 to third by the end of the season. Sebele said they are hopeful to find a replacement for Bright soon. 'As of now, we don't have a coach. We are still looking for a coach to replace Bright.'

Bright joined GU during the just-ended season, replacing Zambian Manfred Chabinga. Indications are that Pontsho Moloi and Noah Maposa could be recalled by Bay United although their loan deals ended at the end of the season. The pair featured for the former Premiership side last season on loan from Mochudi Centre Chiefs.

However, Moloi said he is still in the dark concerning his fate. 'I don't know anything about that, but I only heard that Bright has gone back to South Africa. In any case, our loan deals with Bay United have expired,' he said. 

Although it is not clear who bought the club, recent reports indicate that it might be Uitenhage businessman, Butityi Konki. Bay United was liquidated after Izingwe Holdings threw in the towel following the club's failure to return to the Premier Soccer League.

Apart from the club's failure to return to the PSL, the owners said there were other issues that prompted them to give up on Umlilo.  These included the PSL's imposition of a R1.3 million liability following the club's retrenchment of players at the end of the 2008-2009 season.  Their unsuccessful attempts to get sponsorship from the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality, the Eastern Cape provincial government and the corporate world also contributed to Izingwe Holdings' decision.