Steve Komphela quit as coach of Kaizer Chiefs just minutes after violent scenes followed his side’s departure from the Nedbank Cup on Saturday as Free State Stars beat them 2-0 in their semifinal, Reported on Times Live and SABC Digital News. Below are some of the speech that was made during the press conference this morning.
“We have to cut this culture of ill-discipline and delinquency. I have to be responsible and protect the players and administration, and set an example that this must stop,” said Komphela.
“If it has to stop with me, then it must be so! I am effectively saying to you that I consider it my responsibility to protect everybody at stake.”
The club’s football manager, Bobby Motaung, added: “There has to be a reality check. We are not safe. We must take responsibility and own up and accept the facts. We have always honored [our] obligations.
“Steve has done a great job for Kaizer Chiefs but unfortunately if it is not meant to be, it is not meant to be. The results are not happening. As a coach, he knows we are faced with a serious challenge. “We have had discussions with the coach and said, let’s do the honorable thing. The coach is stepping down with immediate effect.” Komphela said football was about results and he was confident he was leaving Chiefs with a framework for the future.
“We didn’t deserve the result but its part of football,” he said. “We committed two errors and we paid the price. There was no major threat. We never had problems except when we lost possession and they came on the counter-attack.
“I lost count of the number of chances! I cannot fault the players – they gave their all. We did commit mistakes.”
Komphela slated the violence that followed the defeat in Durban. Several people were injured when hooligans ran onto the field and vandalized the stadium.
“It is sad we had to experience this phenomenon. Do players deserve this? Do the sane supporters deserve this? Do I deserve this?” he said. “I cannot judge but I don’t think the players deserved it.
“At the back of this, do you still want to put people at risk? Do you want to put players at risk? I’ve got to be honest, I love dicing with fire but the culture of the club is such that we are very peaceful.
“We faced this [violence] in Joburg and now in Durban, and we are playing against Arrows here on Tuesday. I have taken all of this into consideration.”
This normally happens everywhere around the world in the culture of football, as Steve always said, “we can go to the same shop and buy MAGEU but the price will never be the same” which is why he leads by example and follow procedures and being responsible. See more of what happened yesterday below.
