Celtic woes: Is Clinton having last laugh?
Mazola Molefe is sure Clinton Larsen is not taking even a little bit of pleasure at how events are unfolding at Bloemfontein Celtic.
|||I am sure Clinton Larsen is not that kind of a guy, but there is absolutely no way he is not taking even a little bit of pleasure at how events are unfolding at Bloemfontein Celtic.
It was a typical sunny day in the Free State capital late on November 23 when coach Larsen made his way to a routine technical team meeting to discuss the club’s recent slump. Five games had gone by and Phunya Sele Sele were still without a win, setting up tense discussions during the weekly gathering. But owner Max Tshabalala forgot to tell Larsen, who quit not long after he’d met chief executive Khumbulani Konco and the club chairman.
It has been a proper downward spiral on and off the pitch since Serame Letsoaka came in as a replacement.
Bad timing. A good coach, who arrived under extremely volatile circumstances. It might look like Letsoaka, who has managed a single victory in nine matches, is the problem, but Tshabalala has a history of being too hands-on, if you like. Sure, it is common practice in South African football - from the lower leagues right up to the top tier - for club owners to want to be heard.
Letsoaka admitted as much to this columnist while at Golden Arrows that he had no issues with Mato Madlala “interfering”.
A Premier Soccer League club is worth at least R60-million and that gives the investor the right to be nosy when something does not tickle their fancy. But Tshabalala has a track record of taking it a bit too far.
For instance, in 2009 he sold the status of Roses United in the National First Division to Sinky Mnisi, the boss of Vardos FC, a team campaigning in a division below. That deal turned sour, and Tshabalala demanded his team back and accused Mnisi of failing to honour their agreement.
To cut a long story short, Tshabalala was successful in his attempt to reverse the “transaction”, but Roses were relegated under his watch before he eventually - without any glitches this time - sold it to Sainty Molale.
That paved the way for him to buy Celtic in July 2014. Under his management, the club have had a turnover of three coaches following the arrival of Letsoaka in December. It goes without saying that Tshabalala has had a hand in all these bewildering changes. It’s no wonder supporters are threatening to boycott Celtic’s away match to Orlando Pirates on Saturday night.
Even a heart-to-heart meeting with the players earlier this week is not going to undo the damage done already. A little birdie told me recently that Tshabalala has never been popular among the fans since taking over from Jimmy Augousti.
Nearly two years later, they are still questioning whether he is the rightful owner of the club or just a pawn fronting for Free State premier Ace Magashule. He strongly denies it and said this week he was prepared to go to court to prove he used his own money to purchase the team.
My mockingbird also tells me Letsoaka has got his work cut out if he is to turn things around because the players had formed an unbelievable bond with Larsen, the only coach to win a trophy at Phunya Sele Sele in over a decade. Who is having the last laugh now?
Larsen has never hidden the reason why he quit - being forced to rope in Duncan Lechesa as an assistant and demote former captain Lehlohonolo Seema - and will surely feel he was vindicated. At the time of choosing to walk out instead of simply obeying orders, Larsen had led Celtic to fifth place on the Absa Premiership standing.
Tonight, the real fight to avoid the relegation scrap truly begins as Phunya Sele Sele go into their clash with an equally struggling Orlando Pirates side in an unfamiliar 12th place. Perhaps this is also a fight to save Tshabalala’s already tainted image as a club boss.
Saturday Star