Belgian coach Luc Eymael’s return to South African football appears headed for a familiar ending, with signs pointing to his days at Chippa United being numbered due to increasing impatience from the club’s management over results.
Just two months after joining the Betway Premiership side at the end of August, Eymael could easily become the second coach to leave the club this season.
The former Free State Stats coach replaced Sinethemba Badela, who was dismissed shortly after the campaign started.
The Chilli Boys, notorious for their coaching merry-go-round, are perched at the basement of the Betway Premiership table.
Eymael arrived when Chippa United had just one point from their opening three league matches. He missed the away loss against Richards Bay while awaiting his work permit. His official debut in charge was the heavy 3-0 defeat at the hands of Orlando Pirates in August at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Gqeberha.
CHIPPA WEIGHING UP LUC EYMAEL’S FUTURE
The club only has one win and three draws in 10 matches overall. To make matters worse, the Eastern Cape team was also knocked out of the Carling Knockout Cup in the first round.
Eymael has officially overseen six of their league matches, recording one win, two draws, and three defeats. The club’s ongoing challenges have reportedly led to internal discussions about appointing a new coach.
The coaching instability persists despite the established technical structure around Eymael, which includes assistants Selaoetse ‘Sly’ Mosala and Hlanga Dikeni, goalkeeper coach Oualid Othman, and conditioning coach Morten Ridgard.
Their next game is against AmaZulu FC, who are coming from a 1-0 win over Durban City FC, on 1 November. It remains to be seen whether Eymael will still be in charge when the Chilli Boys face Usuthu next month.
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