Soweto soccer giants Orlando Pirates announced on their website on Monday that head coach Julio Cesar Leal had been suspended indefinitely.
“Orlando Pirates Football Club has with immediate effect suspended the coach, Mr Julio Cesar Leal,” the club stated.
While embarking on a fact finding investigation into poor performances, the coach expressed that “he could not see his way forward” and offered the chairman “to do what is right for the club”.
Augusto Palacios, technical director of development, would assume the role of head coach on an interim basis.
The rest of the technical team would remain unchanged, Pirates said.
Since Leal took over at the beginning of the season, Pirates have won the MTN8 and the Telkom Knockout competitions.
He replaced Ruud Krol, who guided the team to three titles last season.
Leal came under severe scrutiny after Pirates failed to advance past the preliminary round of the CAF Champions League.
They went down 4-2 on aggregate to Angolan side Recreativo do Libolo earlier this month. – Sapa