Johannesburg - Maritzburg United’s hopes of securing Roger De Sa as head coach may have suffered another setback, should there be any truth to a report that Kaizer Chiefs are interested in hiring the former goalkeeper.
De Sa parted ways with Ajax Cape Town in October this year after a miserable start to their league campaign and is currently without a job.
Maritzburg United chairman Farook Kadodia has made it clear that his club, without a head coach since Ernst Middendorp quit in November, are keen on bringing in De Sa.
The reason no deal has been finalised up to now, says Kadodia, is because De Sa is on the radar of SAFA (the South African Football Association). SAFA sacked head coach Shakes Mashaba last week, having previously denied they were set on making De Sa the new national team coach.
Now there has been an additional twist to the situation, with a report claiming that Kaizer Chiefs are considering adding De Sa, who led Orlando Pirates to the 2013 CAF Champions League final, to their technical team.
According to Soccer Laduma, the 52-year-old former Bidvest Wits coach would not be a replacement for Steve Komphela, but would work alongside the head coach as a technical director. The speculated role would be a long-term one with De Sa able to cover a wide range of responsibilities, while his experience on the continent could be a potential plus point.
Komphela has endured some tough times at Amakhosi over the last two seasons, his side having gone through a couple lengthy patches without a win. But a good end to 2016, together with the teams above Chiefs dropping points, means the Soweto giants are only one point off the top of the table at the Christmas and AFCON break.