WALE ended the MaZulu FC coach, Arthur Zwane, commenting on the absence from the bench of one of his deputies, Simo Dladla, with suspicions of him not getting along with him.
Dladla, Zwane’s second deputy, could not be seen on the bench as Usuthu drew 2-2 with Sekhukhune United in the Betway Premiership match on Monday, at Princess Magogo Stadium, KwaMashu.
On the bench were Siboniso “Nini” Vilakazi, the first deputy, and Posnett Omony, who is the goalkeeper coach.
Dladla’s absence follows a statement issued by the club during the Fifa break, two weeks ago, stating that his contract will not be renewed at the end of this season.
The non-renewal of this coach’s contract coincides with the non-renewal of Pedro Dias who is the Director of Football in this team.
After this news came out, there were suspicions that there was a conflict between him and Zwane who is the head coach.
“This team is more than anyone, even me. They can play tomorrow without me, and they can play without Postnett. No one is better than the team,” said Zwane.
“The most important thing is love, motivation and dedication to the team. The team comes first. The rest follows.”
“Being a coach is just a job title, the important thing is cooperation. But if things don’t go well, the door doesn’t stop, I’m the one who has to make decisions, so it’s very important to have the support of my colleagues (in the coaching team).
“What I am saying is that the team can continue without us, so it is important that we understand that,” continued Zwane, refusing to comment on the allegations of not getting along with Dladla.
“The team issued a statement so I have nothing else to comment on. Someone like Nini (Vilakazi) should be commended, he is doing a great job, I am happy for him.
“And now he just got his CAF A Licence, which the club is helping to develop. That’s why I say I have enough experience on the bench.”
Suthu’s draw missed the chance to hold on to third place in the Premiership log and to put pressure on it in the seven games left to wrap up the season in its goal of finishing the season among the top four teams.