Tshifhiwa Thidiela points out why Black Leopards were relegated

Black Leopards general manager Tshifhiwa Thidiela has pointed out the main reason which led the club to be relegated from the Motsepe Foundation Championship.

Thidiela ruled out financial struggles, lack of talented players and lack of preparation as the possible reasons for their downfall.

Leopards ended their 25-year stay in South African professional football last Saturday following a 2-0 defeat to Platinum City Rovers at Isak Steyl Stadium.

Lidoda Duvha has been struggling for form and to deliver results the entire campaign. This saw them change coaches in an attempt to bring stability to the club.

Joel Masutha started the season but was replaced by Johnny Ferreira. Ferreira then resigned, and experienced Owen Da Gama was appointed coach.

At one point, the team went winless for five months [October 2022 to March 2023]. During that time, they registered eight draws and suffered seven defeats.

TSHIFHIWA THIDIELA SAYS THE CLUB OWNERS WERE NOT HANDS-ON

According to Thidiela, their relegation was because the club owners were not fully focused on the team as they had other businesses to take care of.

“We step back and hire people, I’m based in Polokwane, and the team is in Thohoyandou. Sometimes who you hire might look good but not good for the vision,” Thidiela told SNAWA.

“My dad [David Thidiela] hardly goes to training, some matches we don’t even watch. I didn’t even watch the last match. We needed to make sure other businesses are working well so we can be able to fund Black Leopards.

“I think that’s a problem because when you are not close, you are not necessarily hands-on. You tend to miss some things.

“We wanted it to be a legacy that is for the community, that will succeed even if Chief is not there. We wanted to give other people a chance, to groom them and let Black Leopards be able to move on.”

THIDIELA WEIGHS IN ON THE SQUAD DEPTH AND THE COACH

Despite going down, Thidiela believes they had a good squad and a good coach.

“Good bunch of players, you going to see when they move to other teams that there was immense talent.

“I think also Owen [Da Gama] was a perfect fit it may have been a bit late for him to come in,” he added.

In the remaining two matches, Leopards will face All Stars FC [H] and Venda Football Academic [A].

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