Da Gama takes over at Magesi

Owen da Gama was named new coach of bottom placed Betway Premiership club Magesi on Monday, returning to the club coaching scene for the first time since the end of the 2020-21 season.

The 63-year-old Da Gama replaces Clinton Larsen who quit earlier this month, frustrated with interference in his work by the club’s management.

Papi Zothwane took temporary charge of the side for Sunday’s home loss to Orlando Pirates at Polokwane, which kept the newly promoted Limpopo side rooted to the bottom, with Da Gama unveiled as the new coach at Monday press conference.

Da Gama, who took South Africa’s under-23 team to the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in 2014 and later was a caretaker coach of Bafana Bafana, began his coaching career while still playing at Durban’s Leeds United in 1988 but made his name at Silver Stars, bringing them to the top flight in 2003 and winning the 2006 Telkom Knockout with the club.

He was coach of Orlando Pirates in the 2007-08 season and had a brief spell at Free State Stars before moving ton Bloemfontein Celtic.

In 2010, he returned to Stars, who by then had were known as Platinum Stars. After his work with the South African Footnall Association, Da Gama returned to club coaching at Highlands Pasrk in 2018 and then later at TS Galaxy. His last job was a co-coaching spell at Sekhukhune United with McDonald Makhubedu. He said afterwards he did not feel co-coaching worked.

He has a career tally of 388 games as a coach in South Africa’s top flight with 124 wins, 137 draws and 126 defeats.

Da Gama, whose playing career took in spells in Belgium and Ireland, will be tasked with keeping Magesi up in the top flight. They have won one of their 10 league games to date and have only six points.

His first game in charge will be away against TS Galaxy at the Mbombela Stadium on Saturday. Magesi beat Galaxy there earlier this season on their way to their shock win in the Carling Knockout.