Zeca Marques linked with Leopards after Konadu exit
Former Moroka Swallows head coach Zeca Marques has emerged as the frontrunner to succeed Ghanaian mentor Maxwell Konadu, who recently parted ways with Black Leopards in the second-tier league.
According to FARPost, Konadu severed ties with the Motsepe Foundation Championship side less than a year after his appointment. He had joined the Leopards in July 2024 on a three-year deal from Ghana’s Nsoatreman FC.
The former assistant coach of the Ghana National Team had been tasked with steering Leopards back to the Betway Premiership. Konadu arrived at the Limpopo side with high recommendations after a successful season in Ghana. He had won the FA Cup and led Nsoatreman to their first-ever CAF Confederation Cup qualification.
A 2012 Ghana Premier League winner with Asante Kotoko, Konadu previously expressed his readiness to embrace the challenge of coaching the former toplight side in the Motsepe Foundation Championship.
Konadu departs from Leopards just a day after the team suffered a 1-0 defeat against Leruma United, the current bottom team in the standings. Following this result, Leopards sit in 10th place with 23 points from 17 matches, trailing the league leaders, Durban City FC, by 11 points.
ZECA MARQUES SPOTTED IN POLOKWANE AHEAD OF LEOPARDS MOVE
Sources reveal that the club is considering replacing Konadu with the former Swallows FC coach, Marques. With a game against Cape Town Spurs on Saturday, Leopards may want to bring in the new man before the weekend. The fixture is set for the Thohoyandou Stadium.
In Marques, they would be getting an experienced mentor who had two stints at Swallows. He first joined Black Leopards FC in 2015 and guided them into the PSL Promotional/Relegation Playoffs.
The Portuguese-born coach will be expected to lead the club in their quest for the second-tier league title. Lidoda Duvha are merely six points away from the playoff position and continue to harbour hope for qualification.
The highlight of Marques’ career was guiding Swallows to the MTN8 trophy in 2012.
RELATED STORY: Maxwell Konadu resigns as Black Leopards coach