Durban - Chippa United owner Siviwe Mpengesi has hit back at SuperSport United coach Gavin Hunt following his criticism of the administrative policies of the Chilli Boys.
Hunt reacted to the dismissal of Daine Klate as Chippa coach, deeming the decision to sack him after just seven matches in charge as a “disgrace”.
Hunt reflected on his own personal experiences as he also spent a brief period at the Gqebera-based club and was dismissed after just five months at the helm, having won just one of his opening 10 Premiership games last season.
Mpengesi has been known to be a man who doesn’t mince his words and on Monday reacted to Hunt's comments during an interview on Marawa Sports Worldwide, declaring that the coach's words are merely those of a bitter former employee.
"Gavin Hunt was given an opportunity to coach our team, he failed. His comments are sour grapes," said Mpengesi
"That one, Gavin Hunt, even at Kaizer Chiefs I don't know why he was fired. He likes to say we don't have the right players. (Bienvenu) Eva Nga never scored under Gavin Hunt. When he left, Nga scored 10 goals.
“Gavin Hunt had chased away our No 1 goalkeeper Lloyd Kazapua. Hunt was making his opinion, but I don't think his opinion should be taken seriously. I won't accept that we don't have quality players.”
It feels like a long time ago now when defender Abdi Banda leapt highest and scored the winning goal as Klate's Chippa beat Orlando Pirates at Orlando Stadium last month.
That famous triumph over Pirates aroused a sense of positivity and high hopes for the forthcoming season, however the three losses and a draw that followed sealed Klate's fate at the club.
Now in hindsight, numerous individuals had questioned Klate's approach to matches prior to his last game in charge against Mamelodi Sundowns.
Chippa looked set for a point at home against the Brazilians before the Sundowns snatched the winner deep into stoppage time, however Mpengesi felt his team needed to show more in the way of expressing their strengths and Klate's failure to encourage that led to his demotion back to the club's juniors.
"I like Daine Klate. He was not fired. We are going to place him in one of the departments," Mpengesi revealed.
"When we played against Sundowns, they dominated the game. You can't win the game by depending on other teams to make mistakes. You must create your own luck."
@SmisoScribe