Middendorp recalls painful end to Chiefs stint
Former Kaizer Chiefs coach Ernst Middendorp says there was no interference from the club's management in the season they lost out on the league title on the last day.
In the 2019/20 campaign, Chiefs finished in second place with 57 points, two points behind eventual winners Mamelodi Sundowns. Sundowns won the league with 59 points after toppling Amakhosi from the top on the last day of the league.
The Chiefs management and Middendorp were visibly dismayed by the loss of the title and the two parties opted for a separation at the end of the season. There have been many questions about Middendorp’s time at the Naturena-based club.
One of those questions included interference from the club management and his exit, was posed to Middendorp by Marawa Sports Worldwide (MSW) host Robert Marawa last night when the coach visited the show.
“In clubs of this magnitude, there are always opinions, opinions from the chairman, management, directors and of course the technical team in the end, guided by the head coach, there were opinions but there was no interference to make it clear,” Middendorp told Marawa on the SowetanLIVE platform.
“I was released being in the position to qualify for the CAF Champions League; it was just a disaster at the time simply easy. The final talk from the management was presented to the team in my presence. Everybody went on holiday and I went to the office of Bobby Motaung, telling me ‘coach that’s it, thank you for your work and now you can go home, we will sort it out on the contract side'; it was simply an easy procedure," he said.
Middendorp is now at Swallows and has the task of saving them from relegation. However, the German mentor is not happy with the application of the team, especially in this week’s training as they prepare to take on Cape Town City in the DStv Premiership on Sunday at the Cape Town Stadium (5.30pm).
“To be honest our training sessions this week were absolutely bad, I don’t know what's happening, I don’t know what’s going on, and we have to rectify this. I have expectations; I want to go to the next step. I’m a straight shooter, if somebody in training is not good, performing or providing what I want to see and the team is not doing well, I make it clear in front of every person," said the 64-year-old coach.
The Birds are in 14th place in the Premiership, they are relegation candidates as it stands. Middendorp believes they can beat the drop.
“That our main target, that was my main target going into Swallows. Position 13 or 14 at the end of the season is the minimum we have to achieve and I’m convinced if we get everybody in the right direction it will happen,” he said on MSW.