With senior Chippa United coaches Thabo September and Mabhuti Khenyeza departing, uncertainty lingers regarding the future of the club’s Diski Challenge mentor Carlos Mtshamba.
His contract expires on June 30, but the club have yet to discuss a way forward with him.
According to sources, Mtshamba is considering exploring his options with interest shown by undisclosed PSL teams; one from Gauteng, another in Mpumalanga and the other in KwaZulu-Natal, to coach in their junior ranks.
Mtshamba had a one-season deal with the club that he signed in August 2024.
Club chair Siviwe Mpengesi said at the time that Mtshamba was a perfect fit to lead his young talent.
But with just three weeks remaining of his contract, Mtshamba’s future is still a mystery.
Approached for comment, Mtshamba confirmed he had yet to have a conversation with Mpengesi or any top management regarding an extension.
“Yes, my contract finishes at month end. There are still a few days.
“I’m hopeful that I will get a call from management in the coming days to discuss having a stay in the team, because I love working in the Eastern Cape. There’s talent in the province and I still want to work with it,” Mtshamba said.
He declined to shed information about the interest shown by other PSL teams.
The club managed only two wins from 28 games and ended up with 12 points in the Diski Challenge.
Mtshamba defended the statistic when questioned if it was the reason for the delay in talks.
He said he had not had enough preparation time for the recent season with the team.
Mtshamba had to quickly assemble a team just days before the start of last season.
“I don’t think we can solely be judged according to the results. Unlike other teams, we did not have time to work with the boys preseason and get to know them.
“We only got to know their abilities during the season, and that did not help our cause, plus we had players in the team who were based in Gqeberha.
“We had challenges with them not being able to have many training sessions because the majority of the time we were training in East London.
“Though we had those challenges, we still managed to get players promoted in the senior team.
“For example, in Chippa’s last game in East London, where they were playing Mamelodi Sundowns, we had more than three players who were in the match day squad.
“That says a lot about the potential and what we can do if we are given time to work with the young talent of the Eastern Cape,” he said.
Daily Dispatch
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