AmaZulu FC President Sandile Zungu has explained his decision to appoint the young coaching duo of Arthur Zwane and Vusimuzi Vilakazi to take charge as co-coaches after the side degenerated into mediocrity under Pablo Franco Martin.
A lot is expected from the two up-and-coming South African coaches by the supporters as a new era begins at the iconic KwaZulu-Natal club.
"We have given them names fit for the generals of the warrior nation: Arthur Zwane is now called Phakimpi, and Vilakazi is now Mpiyakhe," says Zungu, speaking exclusively to KickOff.
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"It's our culture now in our club to give coaches names that belong to the leaders of war. AmaZulu is a big team and a big brand. We are at war.
"We've underachieved in these past seasons, but we under resurgence, hence we were looking for people who are fit for the task, especially bringing them at a time where they no longer have advantage of pre-season. We were looking for people who are familiar with the local environment, people who can land running.
"Arthur Zwane is a proud son of the soil, he used to play for AmaZulu. Our fans will remember him for scoring a goal that was critical in saving the team from relegation. We wanted someone who's got the pedigree for winning things.
"Even though his coaching experience at Kaizer Chiefs is something not to be proud of, it gave him an opportunity to observe a couple of great things.
"He and Vilakazi are co-coaches, and they are very excited about it. Vilakazi was coaching our Diski [Challenge] team. He put them in a respectable position. Last season, he saved Richards Bay from relegation, and you saw when he left Golden Arrows, the team really struggled," adds the club boss.
Zungu believes both coaches are out to prove themselves, and that their work ethic and modest demeanour fits the culture of Usuthu.
"They buy into our intentions for this season. Our intention this season is still a top-four finish. To be in the top four in South Africa, you need to aim for 50 points, and we still have 81 points to play for. We've already lost nine out of nine games, we can't recover those.
"Also, we're still hoping to play in CAF Champions League or the Confederation Cup, which means it's either a top-four finish or winning the Nedbank Cup.
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"The two coaches believe it is possible. Obviously we still have the January transfer window if they feel the squad is not strong enough. We also want this young homegrown talent, but right now, both Phakimpi and Mpiyakhe believes we have a team to compete."