AmaZulu owner Sandile Zungu says there is ‘absolutely no way’ the club would finish in the top four with Benni McCarthy still in charge.
McCarthy was sacked on Saturday and has been replaced by former Swallows FC head coach Brandon Truter in the interim.
The decision has left some puzzled as under his management Usuthu finished second last season and qualified for the CAF Champions League. This season he guided Usuthu to their first-ever CAF Champions League win in the group stages with a 1-0 win over Guinean giants Horoya FC on matchday 2.
However, what ultimately cost Benni his job was Usuthu’s poor league form as they currently languish in ninth position on the DStv Premiership standings, having drawn a staggering 14 of their 23 games. The owners’ manadate to McCarthy was to finish in the top four at the minimum and as things stand they may not even make the top eight.
“It’s very simple the team performed exceptionally well last season, but this season the wheels came off,” Zungu told KickOff.
NEW COACH
— FARPost_ZA (@FARPostZA) March 27, 2022
AmaZulu have confirmed the appointment of Brandon Truter as the club's interim coach until the end of the 2021/2022 season. #FARPost pic.twitter.com/jui2NuLe9D
“We want to be in the top four, and it might be a bit late now to salvage that top-four finish.
“Benni was very good, he was part of our success last season, but we needed change to salvage our pride this year.
“At the rate, we were going the team is having a 42% conversion rate, with 29 points out of a maximum 69 points.
“So we don’t believe the season is done, we’ve got seven more games to play, 21 points to play for if you add 21 to 29 we could reach 60 points.
“If you’ve got 60 points in the Premier Soccer League you are then likely to be in the top four.
𝐁𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆: AmaZulu officially part ways with Benni McCarthy ❌
— SuperSport 🏆 (@SuperSportTV) March 25, 2022
Here’s what he had to say in a recent post-match interview in the #DStvPrem 👀 pic.twitter.com/k4Il5bIAZi
“There is no way we would have clinched a top-four spot with Benni in charge, absolutely no way.
“We were of the view that let’s not overburden him with this responsibility because either he was leaving now or at the end of the season.
“The end of the season with us out of the top eight would have been a disaster for us.
“It’s quite clear results are what matters most, and results were not forthcoming, and unfortunately with the coach that’s where it starts.
“If the team is doing very well he takes the glory, if the team is not doing very well he takes the fall.”
