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Chippa United COO Mzinzi confident new coach Seema will usher new era at the PE club

Lehlohonolo Seema joined Bloemfontein Celtic as a coach in 2013 and has been vital in the club steering clear of relegation this season despite working under difficult circumstances financially.
Lehlohonolo Seema joined Bloemfontein Celtic as a coach in 2013 and has been vital in the club steering clear of relegation this season despite working under difficult circumstances financially.
Image: Samuel Shivambu/BackpagePix

Chippa United chief operations officer Lukhanyo Mzinzi is confident that newly-appointed coach Lehlohonolo Seema will help end the club's continual fight against relegation in the Absa Premiership.

The Eastern Cape club announced the appointment of the 40-year-old former Bloemfontein Celtic mentor on a three-year contract on Monday morning.

Mzinzi said Seema would be a great help to the club going forward.

“As a Chippa brand we have always believed in up-and-coming (coaches) in South Africa.

"But what is different with coach Seema is that he does not need to prove himself anymore‚” Mzinzi said.

“He has done well in his previous job with all the challenges that the club faced. He has proven himself to be an acute technician and has won difficult matches at Celtic.

“We think that with the direction that we want to take the club in‚ he can only add value to us.

"We can contribute to his goals but he can also contribute to the success of the club because we are battling relegation each and every season‚” Mzinzi said after the news broke.

Earlier on Monday‚ the statement from the club read: “Coach Seema joins the Chilli-Boys from Bloemfontein Celtic FC where he put in notable performances and his abilities as a coach at the highest level were evident.

“Chairman of the club Siviwe Mpengesi expressed his support for coach Seema and expressed his confidence in a winning combination between the coach and the ambitions of Chippa United during his tenure.”

Celtic wished Seema well in a statement of their own.

“We would like to confirm the resignation of Lehlohonolo Seema as head coach of the club. Coach Seema has been at the club since 2013‚ he added more value to the club and he was a great asset.

"We wish him all the best on his career going forward and future endeavours.”

Seema‚ who captained Celtic during his playing days‚ had been in charge of Celtic on different occasions in the past and worked closely with John Maduka until his resignation.

He leaves Siwelele in ninth place on the standings with 28 points from 23 matches. The Bloemfontein side are also in the semifinal stage of the Nedbank Cup and they are up against Baroka FC.