Young Africans FC coach Manqoba Mngqithi believes that the standard of South African football has dropped as the league continues to lose influential coaches.
In the past seasons, several South African coaches left the Betway Premiership to coach outside the country, which shows that the league is being followed by many outside the country.
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The Kariakoo Derby this past weekend, saw two top South African coaches locking horns against each other for the first time in the history of Tanzanian football.
Mngqithi on the green side of Young Africans SC and Steve Barker on the red end of Simba SC at Uhuru Stadium with a 23, 000 capacity hosting this magnificent clash.
The former Golden Arrows head coach unfortunately ended up on the losing side with Barker guiding the Reds of Msimbazi to a stunning come-from-behind 2-1 win in the titanic fixture to end Yanga’s dominance since 2023.
According to Mngqithi’s observations, the South African football standard has dropped because the league has lost some influential coaches in the past four seasons.
We have witnessed the likes of Rulani Mokwena and Mngqithi, who both won several league titles in South Africa, Barker who took Stellenbosch FC to significant height, all test themselves in top African leagues after leaving Mzansi shores.
Eric Tinkler briefly spent time with Asante Kotoko in Ghana before recently coming back to take up the vacant Durban City job, while Reneilwe Letsholonyane has been appointed as Mochudi Centre Chiefs head coach in Botswana. Thabo Senong is now in Zimbabwe and Benni McCarthy currently leads The Harambee Stars of Kenya.
For Mngqithi, the export of SA coaches to other leagues is a plus though in the same breath feels it has led to a slight decline in the local Mzansi league.
“What is happening is [not] beneficial to South Africa because when I look at our Premier League now, I think the standard is dropping slowly because they have lost influential coaches in improving the game, but time is the best judge,” Mngqithi told the media.
“And from where I am sitting, I think it’s not a very positive thing for South Africa but it’s a very positive thing for South African coaches.”