Africa-Press – South-Africa. Cape Town Spurs FC have officially parted ways with head coach Shaun Bartlett with immediate effect.
This decision, which was primarily motivated by the team’s recent performance, follows a thorough evaluation and discussions between the club’s management and Bartlett.
Spurs suffered a seventh straight defeat since the start of the 2023/24 DStv Premiership season, losing 3-1 to rivals Cape Town City at Cape Town Stadium on Saturday.
“Following an extensive review and discussions with Shaun Bartlett and taking into consideration the current set of results, we have mutually agreed to the termination of the head coach’s contract with immediate effect,” the club said in a statement released on Monday morning.
Despite this difficult decision, the club expressed its appreciation for Bartlett’s contributions during his tenure, particularly in the significant achievement of promoting the club back to the Premier Soccer League (PSL).
“The club wishes to place on record our appreciation for Shaun’s work during his time at the club, most significantly promoting the club back to the PSL.”
The decision to part ways with Bartlett was not made lightly and was guided by the club’s long-term interests.
The club acknowledged that this would not be easy for all parties involved. However, they expressed their well-wishes for Bartlett’s future coaching career, signalling their gratitude and respect for his time at the helm of Cape Town Spurs.
The Africa Cup of Nations-winning Bafana Bafana legend arrived at the Parow-based club two years ago in October 2021.
During his time, Bartlett guided the team from the National First Division back to South Africa’s top flight, fulfilling their five-year-long aspiration.
But their fairytale return, however, has taken a bitter turn, deteriorating from bad to worse on Saturday.
Following the defeat to their Cape Town rivals, Bartlett faced a barrage of questions from the media, including whether the City fixture could be his last match in charge.
“The best way to answer that is in the next 48 hours to see what happens and what conversation will be had, and what’s decided,” a prophetic Bartlett said during the post-match press conference.
“I don’t really disclose too much as to confidential stuff. We all know what the situation is. We’ve always been a club that promote young players and not go too much into the market.
“But sometimes a level-up is maybe too much for certain players. So those are things that we have to assess and see where we can make changes.”
Spurs made an official announcement regarding the appointment of Sean Connor as their technical director shortly after their defeat in the Cape derby.
The 56-year-old, originating from Northern Ireland, boasts an extensive resume, having worked with numerous clubs, including the prominent South African side, Black Leopards, back in 2014.
Connor, alongside Spurs chief executive officer Alexi Efstathiou, have already initiated a restructuring of the next coaching setup at the club.
A shortlist of potential coaching candidates has been identified, and an official announcement regarding the new coaching direction is expected imminently.
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