Before the new Betway Premiership season started there were six new coaches in place, ready to get the competition underway.
Two of them, however, did not even make it to the start line. Dylan Kerr returned to Marumo Gallants, who two years previously he had taken to the African Confederation Cup semifinal but then seen relegated from the top flight, while Sekhukhune United appointed the German Peter Hyballa.
Kerr quit within week of returning to the now Bloemfontein-based club, alleging managerial interference in his work, while Hyballa’s work methods, relationship with the players and lurid tabloid details of his off-field activities saw him depart before taking charge of a single game at Sekhukhune.
Since then, there have been another five clubs where managerial changes was been made, including champions Mamelodi Sundowns last week.
Now that the season is one-third complete, here is a rundown of how the new coaches are performing:
Kwanele Kopo (Chippa United): Kopo had been co-coach with Thabo September for the final 18 games of last season when they replaced Morgan Mamilla. But before the start of the 2024-2025 Betway Premiership season, Chippa named Kopo as solo head coach and he has seen the Eastern Cape-based side up into sixth place in the standings after 10 matches.
Nasredddine Nabi (Kaizer Chiefs): AmaKhosi have won three of their opening nine league games under the Tunisian coach in a poor start and were also humiliated in the Carling Knockout by Sundowns, who thrashed them 4-0 at Soccer City. Chiefs have won one of their last seven outings with Nabi claiming he needs new players and at least three transfer windows to get the club back to their old trophy-winning ways.
Clinton Larsen (Magesi): Larsen was not new to Magesi, having taken them to Motsepe Foundation Championship and automatic promotion, but his side were rookies in the Premiership and with limited resources not much expected of them. But within three months, Larsen delivered silverware as the club took the Carling Knockout with a shock 2-1 win over Sundowns in Bloemfontein. With one win in nine league games, however, they are bottom of the table.
Manqoba Mngqithi (Mamelodi Sundowns): Demoted to assistant coach in October 2022, Mngqithi was back in charge and this time on his own after the club’s split with Rulani Mokwena. Mngqithi had Sundowns tied at the top of the table with seven wins from eight matches and won 13 of 19 games played but was fired last week, after Sundowns failed to win their opening two games of the African Champions League group phase. Double defeat in the MTN8 semifinal to Stellenbosch plus their shock loss in the Carling Knockout final did not help his cause either.
Dan Malesela (Marumo Gallants): Malesela stepped in to take over from Kerr but had only a handful of weeks to work with the Gallants players before the start of the season. They have won three of nine league games and sit in 12th spot in the Betway Premiership but did get to the semifinals of the Carling Knockout. This is Malesela’s second spell with the club.
Brandon Truter (Richards Bay): Vusimuzi Vilakazi was sacked by Richards Bay just before the season kicked off, after having been in charge for half of the last campaign. Truter came in but lasted only 11 games with two wins before he too was shown the door. Truter has since taken over at Upington City in the second tier.
McDonald Makhubedu (Sekhukhune United): Makhubedu stood in as caretaker at Sekhukhune United for a third time in two seasons as he took charge of the opening game of the season in the MTN8 at home to Cape Town City. Sekhukhune lost the match 1-0 and within days Lehlohonolo Seema was named as new coach
Lehlohonolo Seema (Sekhukhune United): Seema was the catalyst for Sekhukhune finishing fourth last season but left before the end of the campaign after a fall out with management. Now he is back but things have not gone as swimmingly this time round with Sekhukhune in eighth spot with four wins from eight league matches. They were eliminated from the African Confederation Cup before the group stage, which they participated in last season.
Arthur Zwane/Vusimusi Vilakazi (AmaZulu): Pablo Franco was shown the door at the end of September after losing the first three games of the new season and replaced by the duo of Zwane and Vilakazi, who have since been in charge of six matches with three victories and three defeats.
Adnan Beganovic (TS Galaxy); Sead Ramovic left Galaxy last month after a single win in nine matches and in last place on the table, feeling they needed a fresh hand at the wheel. His assistant Beganovic has since won twice and drawn twice in an unbeaten start to his first role as head coach.
Ronnie Gabriel (Richards Bay): Gabriel has bene the stand-in coach for the last three games since Truter was fired late last month. He had his first success at the weekend with a win at Lamontville Golden Arrows.
Musa Bilankulu/Kagisho Dikgacoi (Lamontville Golden Arrows): Mabhuti Khenyeza walked out Arrows at the start of last week and after nine matches of the season, leaving his assistants to take charge of the derby against Richards Bay on Saturday, which Arrows surprising lost 1-0.
Miguel Cardoso (Mamelodi Sundowns): The well-travelled Portuguese coach had his first match in charge on Sunday with a 1-0 success over Raja Casablanca in the Champions League. His Betway Premiership debut comes on Wednesday with the away clash against Stellenbosch.