Marumo Gallants have reunited with their former coach ahead of the Motsepe Foundation Championship second round, FARPost has learnt.
This comes after Bahlabane ba Ntwa cut ties with the English football coach Steven Polack following a series of poor results. The tactician only spent over a month at the helm at Gallants.
During his stay at the club, Polack took charge of eight matches. In those eight games, he managed to win one, drew two, and lost five in the process.
As things stand, Gallants sit 15th on the log standings with 16 points, equal in points with arch-rivals Venda FC, who are languishing at the bottom of the table.
MARUMO GALLANTS ROPE IN FORMER COACH
This publication has it on good authority that coach Mpho Maleka has returned to Gallants intending to save the club from the chop in the SA second-tier league.
Maleka was with Bahlabane ba Ntwa during the 2021/22 season when the side was still competing in the DStv Premiership.
The 45-year-old mentor comes in highly recommended as he completed his CAF B Licence in Zambia last year. To add to that, he also attracted the interest of other African countries such as Sierra Leone, Rwanda, and Namibia.
FARPost can reveal that coach Maleka was supposed to be in Sierra Leone now assessing players of an unnamed club and taking over the reins from February this year. However, he opted to take the Gallants coaching gig to help the club.
At the beginning of this campaign, Maleka was linked with a move to the PSL troubled side Moroka Swallows and Zambian Super League outfit Forest Rangers. However, the negotiations were not fruitful.
Given Maleka’s extensive experience of the beautiful game, he will be expected to save the team from the sinking ship and retain their Motsepe Foundation Championship status.
MARUMO GALLANTS’ NEXT ASSIGNMENT
The side will return to action after the AFCON break on Wednesday, 14 February 2024. Gallants will take on Venda FC at home in what should be a battle of relegation. The Limpopo derby clash will start at 15:30.
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