Durban City FC chairman Farouk Kadodia has provided clarification on the appointments of head coach Gavin Hunt and technical director Ernst Middendorp.
The newly promoted Betway Premiership side has undergone restructuring in both coaching and playing personnel ahead of the 2025/26 season.
They parted company with Simo Dladla, who promoted the team, replacing him with veteran coach Gavin Hunt. He brings a proven winning record to the club, boasting four league titles, the ABSA Cup, the Nedbank Cup, the MTN8, and the Telkom Knockout Cup.
Meanwhile, Middendorp makes his fourth return to the club, having previously coached them in three separate stints when they were known as Maritzburg United. He’s also mentored big clubs like Kaizer Chiefs, FC Augsburg [Germany] and Asante Kotoko [Ghana], among others.
FAROUK KADODIA ON DURBAN CITY’S RESTRUCTURING
When asked if the two seasoned coaches won’t clash, Kadodia said, “This is a very interesting question [about Middendorp and Hunt’s appointments]. Many people were surprised by the appointment of both Gavin Hunt and Ernst Middendorp.”
“The reality is that, for me, we’ve got to understand what we are going to face going forward.
“The reality of planning…Back in 2003, when I got Maritzburg United revived, there was so much youth around to see exactly how we could build the team.
“Two years later, we bought Tembisa Classic, and we fast-tracked, and then we got relegated in two years. And eventually in 2008, we were back in the Premiership through our promotion.
“Yes, there were structures in place. But now people think Maritzburg United went down and just came up. There’s a lot of work.
“And that work, this is why we needed a technical director to give the support [to the coach] and to see exactly what structures we can put in place.”
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