Bloemfontein Celtics have appointment Former Kaizer Chiefs mentor, Steve Kompela as their new coach.
Phunya Sele Sele appointed the tactician after the Serbian professor Veselin Jelusic resigned last week. It is confirmed that Komphela met with the team for the first time at their training session on Wednesday afternoon.
Komphela who had a rocky and tempestuous three-year spell at Chiefs without any silverware at the Naturena village, penned a two-year deal with an additional one-year option.
The 50 year old Kroonstad-born mentor, who had coached the rivals Free State Stars previously has taken charge of Siwelele just two months after his resignation at Kaizer Chiefs. “It does not take away from the fact that he is a good coach, so as players we are just looking forward to the new season, I think he has all the right ammunition to take the team forward” said the Cameroonian stopper and captain of Celtic Patrick Tignyemb.
Celtic faced turbulent moments when it was confirmed that the club was up for sale.
There were spurious rumours and reports of the club being sold to an unidentified Kimberley businessman and that caused riots when furious and enraged fans protested in the streets of Bloemfontein.
But the management affirmed at the time that there was no sale albeit them looking for a buyer.
Tignyemb insisted that Bloemfontein Celtic players have not been affected by the news of the sale.
“No, it has not affected us as a team because we are professionals and we still have a job to do,” he said, adding that the issue of the sale is not their department, so they cannot get involved.
An erudite sage Komphela has bounced back in the Absa Premiership on the hot seat gig. Siwelele will want to ascend up the log after finishing on the eleventh position with 37 points.They will be optimistic to be in the top eight bracket in the 2018/2019 fresh season.