The 2024/25 Premier Soccer League season has been good to some coaches and bad to others.
The likes of Orlando Pirates have staged massive improvement as opposed to the previous campaign. They are currently chasing the leaders and defending champions Mamelodi Sundowns for this edition's crown. Polokwane City are showing they can push for top positions, as Stellenbosch continue to prove last season's achievement was not a mere fluke.
However, things are not looking good for Richards Bay who didn't have the opportunity to sign new players owing to the Fifa ban that came about because of the dues owed to former club's forward Samir Nurkovic. They are a position above bottom-placed Magesi FC.
Kaizer Chiefs are struggling for consistency after a relatively good start, but they are set to strengthen the squad in the recently opened transfer window. In their bid to get results, some teams have made changes in their coaching department. Here are the casualties so far.
Pablo Franco Martin
The Spaniard was the first coach to face the axe after a poor start to the season. The former Simba SC coach had coached the team for only 15 months. Losses against Marumo Gallants, Kaizer Chiefs, and Orlando Pirates sealed his fate with Arthur Zwane and Vusumuzi Vilakazi coming in as co-coaches.
Peter Hyballa
The German-born coach was confirmed early in the season by Sekhukhune United who were determined to get a highly-qualified tactician. However, he resigned from his job even before coaching Babina Noko in an official match. SABC Sport reported the coach resigned owing to ‘allegations of misconduct, which included a sex scandal'.
Sead Ramovic
Ramovic is another coach who opted to leave the Premier Soccer League after working at TS Galaxy for three years. He resigned live on television during a post-match interview. after the Rockets drew 1-1 with Stellenbosch FC. The team had struggled for consistency after selling their best players which contributed to his exit. He is currently the coach of Tanzanian heavyweights Young Africans SC.
Manqoba Mngqithi
The 53-year-old took over Mamelodi Sundowns after Rhulani Mokwena's unceremonious exit in July. He had a rocky start to the ongoing edition both domestically and abroad. After crashing out of the MTN8 in the semi-final hurdle, losing the Carling Knockout final to Magesi FC and failing to win the first two Group B's Caf Champions League matches, he was fired with Miguel Cardoso replacing him.
Brandon Trutter
The 46-year-old coach had enough with Richards Bay after failing to help them realise their potential on the pitch despite having some good players. The Natal Rich Boys had endured a tough run that had seen them win just one of their last eight outings. The club decided to let him go after falling 2-1 against the 10-man Kaizer Chiefs in late November 2024.
Clinton Larsen
Larsen played a huge role in helping Magesi get promoted to the Premier Soccer League for the first time in their history. Dikwena tsa Meetse then defied then defied the odds to win the Carling Knockout. However, reports have the management was not ready to invest in new players despite a poor PSL run that has seen the team glued at the bottom of the table. The former Orlando Pirates midfielder decided to exit the Magesi scene after the Black Label Cup loss against the Carling All-Stars team.
Kwanele Kopo
Kopo joined Chippa United a year ago to help the team push for the top positions in South African top-flight football. The Chilli Boys were among the teams that made good signings in the summer transfer window. However, he failed to get the consistency the club needed. Chippa had no reason to extend his contract that expired on December 31st, 2024 after a 1-0 loss against Kaizer Chiefs.
Eric Tinkler
He is the latest tactician to be fired in the Premier Soccer League. The 54-year-old's departure was confirmed a day before the new year. During his tenure this season, the Citizens have struggled to get a good run, losing three of their last four matches which left them just three points above the relegation zone.
