There have been many coaches from abroad to work in the South African Premier Soccer League since it was formed in the 1996/97 season, but very few have lasted the distance and hung around.
We look at the top five foreigners who have spent the most time in the dug-out in the PSL era.
VIKTOR BONDARENKO – 179 GAMES
Bondarenko had coached in Mozambique before he was employed by Orlando Pirates just as the Premier Soccer League was formed and had two spells with them before later moving on to Moroka Swallows, Bush Bucks and briefly Mamelodi Sundowns. He was a popular figure with fans who played attacking football, but by 2003 his time in the PSL was done.
PAUL DOLEZAR – 211 GAMES
Dolezar won the Rothmans Cup with both Kaizer Chiefs and Mamelodi Sundowns in the late 1990s, also winning the league with The Brazilians. He had various spells in charge of Sundowns, but notably also won the SAA Supa8 with Bloemfontein Celtic in 2005. He had less successful spells with Black Leopards and Mpumalanga Black Aces.
TED DUMITRU – 264 GAMES
‘The Professor’ had been coach of Kaizer Chiefs in the 1980s, but his first job in the PSL era was with Mamelodi Sundowns between 1997 and 1999, where he won back-to-back league titles before moving on to Orlando Pirates. He also had a brief spell with Manning Rangers an went away to coach Namibia but returned to Sundowns for the 2001/02 campaign and then won back-to-back league titles with Chiefs. He claimed 13 major trophies in his stay in South Africa, and also took Sundowns to the final of the 2001 CAF Champions League, where they lost to Al Ahly.
MUHSIN ERTUGRAL – 394 GAMES
Ertugral enjoyed a lot of cup success in South Africa with Kaizer Chiefs and Ajax Cape Town, but he never claimed a league title, the one blemish on his CV. He had five seasons at Naturena in all over two spells, and had four stints with Ajax, as well as leading Lamontville Golden Arrows, Mpumalanga Black Aces, and a brief, disastrous stay with Orlando Pirates. Known for his fiery temper on the sidelines, he either clicked with players or didn’t, but was in charge of Chiefs for their ‘Operation Vat Alles’ year in 2001 when they won three trophies, including the African Cup Winners’ Cup.
ERNST MIDDENDORP – 395 GAMES
Middendorp first came to South Africa to work at Kaizer Chiefs in the 2005/06 season and has spent much of the last 17 years in the country, bar a few stints away. He had two spells at Naturena, and four at Maritzburg United, the last up to the end of last season.
He has also led Lamontville Golden Arrows, Bloemfontein Celtic and Chippa United with moderate success, and is well regarded for his tactical acumen, if also perceived as a difficult character to get along with. He picked up the Absa Cup and SAA Supa8 trophies, both in 2006, but those are his only bits of silverware in South Africa.