South African coach Manqoba Mngqithi has broken his silence on his premature exit from Tanzanian giants Young Africans.
The former Mamelodi Sundowns and Golden Arrows coach joined the club at the start of the campaign and made an immediate impact.
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He won the Tanzanian Community Shield, guided the team into the CAF Champions League group stages and recorded 10 victories in 13 matches across all competitions.
However, Mngqithi says the decision to part ways with the club was driven by his desire to stand firmon his principles.
“I wouldn’t really want to say what happened at Yanga, you know me better, I would say it was just a matter of principles,” said Mngqithi on SNAWA.
“It was at a stage where I wanted to make sure that as well that my principles, beliefs, ethics stay intact and that basically was the reason why we parted ways.
“I have a lot of respect for Yanga, fans, players, my staff but it just as a matter of principle, maybe it would be the best thing to be where we are.”
‘There Are Things That Happened’
When asked whether he initiated the decision, he replied, “There were things that happened prior to the decision being taken, which were probably the reasons that decision ended up being taken.”
“There were things that happened prior to the match of Simba, the match against TRA but already would leave a sour taste that would result in us being where we are,” he replied.
Mngqithi further stated that his departure had nothing to do with football or his abilities as a coach, explaining that there are certain things he is willing to accept and others he simply will not.
“I wouldn’t think it had anything to do with football because I respect everybody there. The team was good to me, the president was good to me, my staff worked very hard, we achieved most of our targets,” he continued.
“We were unfortunate in a game against Simba. I don’t think it would boil down to football. But there are some things in football, more especially at my level of coaching, you can take and some that you can’t take.”
Mngqithi also addressed the ongoing rumors regarding a strained relationship with Young Africans star Stephane Aziz Ki.
Mngqithi on Aziz Ki Rumours
“I don’t think the issue revolves around me playing Aziz, and I would be lying if I said that; I don’t want to create the wrong impression,” he answered.
“The reality is the management knew that as soon as Aziz was going to be important for the club. What I can tell you what I think is the case – is that it is possible Aziz might have spoken to some members of management to indicate that he would not like to play in my system.”