DURBAN – The Coronavirus pandemic has denied SuperSport United coach Kaitano Tembo a prestigious opportunity to work with world-renowned managers such as Jose Mourinho, David Moyes and Roy Hodgson.
Tembo was set to visit the English Premier League to enhance his football knowledge by working alongside elite managers during the Fifa international break. During his time there, the Zimbabwean who is only in his second season as a head coach would have spent time at Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham United and Crystal Palace.
“Kaitano was supposed to go and spend time with Jose Mourinho at Spurs and with Roy Hodgson at Crystal Palace as well as David Moyes at West Ham United. It was a trip for him to study how the top coaches do things. But because of the coronavirus, it was called off,” SuperSport chief executive Stan Matthews said.
Tembo took over the coaching reins from Eric Tinkler two seasons ago having previously served as an assistant to Stuart Baxter, Gordon Igesund and Cavin Johnson. After the departure of Tinkler, Tembo took over until the end of the season and was given the head coach position on a permanent basis the following season. The former defender has already proven himself by winning the MTN8 in October.
“The principle was that Kaitano would go to England to develop as a coach. He obviously wants to learn and grow. But with travel now out of the question, we will facilitate those interactions on an online space. He will still have online sessions and one with Roy Hodgson is already confirmed,” Matthews explained.
The principle was that Kaitano Tembo would go to England to develop as a coach. He obviously wants to learn and grow, said Stan Matthews, CE of Supersport United FC. Photo: BackpagePix
SuperSport have a good reputation of showing faith and maintaining stability in their technical team. The likes of Pitso Mosimane and Gavin Hunt flourished and blossomed during their stints with SuperSport, largely due to them having been given time to showcase their abilities.
“The main thing for us is to invest in Kaitano and to make sure that he keeps up with the new trends of modern football. We did that with Pitso and Gavin, but we didn’t need to do that with Stuart Baxter. We didn’t really do that with him. But Kaitano is a young coach who is hungry to learn and he is the first to admit that he has a lot to learn. So, we want to give him that experience."
"Some of that will take place locally and some internationally. We’ve also looked at our rugby and cricket counterparts where we feel that an engagement can add value to Kaitano. We will look at local options while we wait for the international scene to unfold,” Matthews said.
Tembo was on course for a top-three finish before PSL action was halted because of the coronavirus. Matsatsantsa are third on the leagues standings with 40 points, eight points behind leaders Kaizer Chiefs.
“What’s most important is that we want to invest in Kaitano. We want to develop him. We want him to grow. We want him to be an asset not only to our football club but to South African football,” Matthews said.