Khurishi Mphahlele issue update on Baroka coaching changes

Baroka FC boss Khurishi Mphahlele has revealed his short and long-term plans for the club in terms of the coaching changes following the departure of Joel Masutha.

Masutha resigned from the club last week after a short stint with the Motsepe Foundation Championship side in Limpopo.

He left the club without a permanent coach ahead of the Nedbank Cup Last 16 match against Orlando Pirates on Saturday at the Orlando Stadium in Soweto. But Mphahlele has confirmed that assistant coach Foster ‘Jay Jay’ Hlongwane will be at the helm until the club announces a permanent coach.

There have also been rumours linking former Cape Town Spurs coach Shaun Bartlett with the job, something Mphahlele refuted.

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“Those are long-term plans. Our short-term plan is ‘Jay Jay’,” said Mphahlele on Wednesday.

“Jay Jay will coach until further notice. But whoever we take, it will be for the long term, not for this season. Maybe we will take him this season but he will be with us for next season.”

KHURISHI MPHAHLELE, FEELING LET DOWN BY THE DEPARTURE OF JOEL MASUTHA

Meanwhile, Mphahlele has, for the first time, addressed the departure of Masutha from the club.

“I never expected it. I never even thought he would leave us like that. It was a shock to me and I don’t know what to say,” said Mphahlele.

“You know these coaches have the right to terminate the contract as they wish. They are not like us, who are blinded by the contract. So they are the superiors of football. They can go wherever they want to go freely. I was so disappointed. No reason at all.

“He just said he is resigning with immediate effect. I am not surprised that he is at [Black] Leopards; I am just surprised that he left us after he went seven games with no defeat. I don’t know what he wants. He did well with us, and I was not expecting him to do that after just one defeat.”

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