Mamelodi Sundowns coach Manqoba Mngqithi has praised Magesi FC head coach Clinton Larsen and former Kaizer Chiefs winger Edmore Chirambadare.
Larsen has been phenomenal for Magesi as he helped the side gain promotion from the Motsepe Foundation Championship and within four months in the Betway Premiership, they’ve won their first major trophy Carling Knockout Cup.
The former Bloemfontein Celtic coach was with Polokwane City when they got relegated to the Motsepe Foundation Championship in the 2019/20 season. After a short spell where he was unable to save the professional status of Bizana Pondo Chiefs in the second tier, he went to coach Summerfield Dynamos in the ABC Motsepe League before he was appointed at Magesi at the midway point of the 2022/23 campaign.
Mngqithi stated that Larsen was never a bad coach, but society and the media kill people’s careers by not being objective and sensational. The Sundowns coach also mentioned that Chirambadare was also a good player.
“I think it is societary problem and also you guys (media) you sometimes kill people’s careers by not being objective and being sensational. I have never thought Clinton is a bad coach from the beginning, he did very well in his early stages when he was easily going to be tempted prematurely or not yet matured enough he had very good steals in clubs that coached and he has done very well in his career,” Mngqithi told the media.
“It was so strange to see a coach like that going to down to the ABC Motsepe League and a lot of people were brought into the club from different countries who could maybe not do better than he did but we are a society like that, it is in our nature to wish bad for anyone, we hardly wish good its something maybe you as custodians and people who can be listened to if you are more pragmatic, you are more positive, you are more objective, you will help because your voice is heard all over but when you’re distractive and you’re negative you always create problems but the truth of the matter is I’m happy for Clinton because I believe he stuck to his guns and played, with the resources that he have.
“I think at Golden Arrows I was playing like him because I knew there were areas I cannot compete on the pitch. And I must use 30% or the 20% that I have to good effect and that is usually on your set pieces, that is usually on your transition from defense to attack.
“I must say Makhubu has been a revelation for his team, Chirambadare who again you ruled out and he has always been a good football player but unfortunately it was very easy to say no, no, those players that were brought like this they were bad and untimely they lost their jobs which I think they were very good football players and it’s proving now. Probably five, six seasons after he was taken out maybe in an environment where now he would be shining but we don’t have patience and we don’t have time for our own.”
