Africa-Press – Malawi. Dutchman Pieter de Jongh arrived in the country with pomp but he is leaving with no fanfare after parting ways with Capital City giants Silver Strikers, who are set to appoint a new coach.
De Jongh leaves the club after a trophy-less season. The club announced the departure of de Jongh effective Friday after he failed to meet the targets and obligations set by the club.
“The decision to part ways with de Jongh was made after a thorough evaluation of the team’s performance against set targets and obligations. While, we appreciate efforts and dedication Mr de Jongh has shown during his tenure with the club, the decision to part ways has been made in the best interest of the club’s future objectives and aspirations,’’ the letter reads.
In an interview yesterday from Kenya, de Jongh said there are no hard feelings. “I had the honour of being coach for the team for a season and I loved the time I spent with the players. When, I consider the objectives, resources and challenges we met as a team, I am pleased with what we managed to achieve. I wish the team and incoming coach all the best,” the Dutchman said in written response Friday.
The Dutchman’s contract was due to expire at the end of next season. He failed to win any silverware at Silver in his first season. However, de Jongh helped Silver to finish as runners-up in the TNM Super League with 57 points from 30 matches, three points behind champions FCB Nyasa Big Bullets.
They were also runners-up to Bullets in the Castel Challenge Cup after 4-2 loss on post-match penalties. Silver were knocked out of the Airtel Top 8 in the semi-final after 3-1 loss to Mafco.
Silver board of directors is expected to meet tomorrow to discuss the recruitment process of the new coach. “The search for a suitable candidate will be conducted with utmost care and consideration to ensure that the club continues to progress and achieve its goals,” the statement reads.
However, Times Sport has established that Black Leopards coach Peter Mponda is the favourite to take over the job. Silver Chief Executive Officer Patrick Chimimba could neither deny nor confirm the reports.
“As stated in the statement, the process will start soon,’’ Chimimba said. Mponda was not readily available for his comment Friday. Former Silver player Bothwell Saka said he was not surprised with de Jongh’s departure.
“Going forward, management should be doing proper research when hiring foreign coaches. They need to check their records,’’ he said. The Bankers have already signed two players namely striker Christopher Gototo and defender Macdonald Lameck from Blue Eagles.
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