English coach Steven Polack has explained why he recently turned down a job with a South African club, insisting he wants ‘the right fit’.
Polack, a league winner with Kenyan giants Gor Mahia, rejected the Black Leopards‘ job midway through the 2022/23 season. The club went on to suffer relegation, although they bounce back to the second tier after purchasing All Stars’ status.
The veteran coach, who has also won trophies in Ghana and Finland, believes it is important to accept the right project.
“My goal is always to help develop the club and develop the team and players to be competitive and perform at the highest level,” Polack told FARPost.
“It’s important, to be honest with oneself, take on a project that’s right for you. That’s why I’ve had to turn down job offers in the past.”
Polack Wants to Find the Right Fit Before Taking Next Job
The English coach, who has over 20 years of coaching in the game of football in Finland and Africa, says he follows the DStv Premiership.
He is willing to make the switch to Mzansi in his next move, with indications that the experienced mentor has caught the eye of one of the clubs in the DStv Premiership.
“It’s a very good league, very competitive and well-marketed across Africa. It’s a challenge I’d definitely be keen to take on,” he added.
Polack is a 61-year-old UEFA Pro Licence holder who also coached Asante Kotoko and Berekum Chelsea of Ghana, among other African clubs.
One of his biggest achievements was promoting FC Inter Turku from the third division all the way to the Premier League in Finland. Kakamega Homeboyz coach Patrick Odhiambo, who previously worked with Polack, hailed him for shaping his coaching career.
“I had the privilege of working with him at Gor Mahia and learnt quite a lot. What I apply as head coach now was picked from him during our time together.
“Under him, the players improved immensely as we won the league title. It was unfortunate COVID-19 happened and disrupted the beautiful project we had,” Odhiambo said.
Besides the league title in Kenya, he also won the Super Cup in 2019, the MTN FA Cup, Glo Top 8 and President Cup [all in Ghana].
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