AmaZulu president Sandile Zungu has explained why the club has brought back duo Thabo Qalinge and Hendrick Ekstein to the first team, saying it...
AmaZulu president Sandile Zungu has explained why the club has brought back duo Thabo Qalinge and Hendrick Ekstein to the first team, saying it was not his own doing to freeze the duo out.
He said it was an instruction from the previous coach Brandon Truter, who deemed the duo surplus to his requirements at the beginning of the season.
As the players were frozen out and told to train with the reserve team, there were talks that Usuthu management were interested to terminate their contracts which expire at the end of the season, but both players weren’t interested in the settlement.
They were happy to train with the reserve team, arriving on time and showing no signs of sulking about their situation.
However, Truter departed in October, with the former Swallows coach replaced by Romain Folz three days later and he has asked for the two players to train with him.
“Those guys are all our players, simple as that,” said Zungu.
“They are in our books and players in our books we need to utilise them. I think coach Fohloza came in and wanted to see all the players in our books and wanted to train with them during this – you call it a short-term break due to the FIFA World Cup.”
According to Zungu, Folz has been left very impressed with their application in training.
“He seemed to have liked what he had seen in Qalinge and Ekstein, contrary to what the previous coach would have preferred,” said.
“We have to accept it. We as AmaZulu, we do what the coach prefers and we support the coach at all times until we lose confidence in him.
“But as long as we have confidence in him, we will support him.”
Zungu made it clear that it was Truter, who said they are not part of his plans and there was nothing he could have done about it.
“There were not part of his plans and they are players that are now part of Fohloza’s plans and that’s how the cookie crumbles,” he said.
“Some of them we keep within the team and others when their contract is due we terminate or not renew. It depends on the timing and the coach’s view on the players.”
Interestingly, Usuthu will resume the league against Truter, who is now at Sekhukhune United, at Peter Mokaba Stadium on 31 December (17:30).
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