Veteran coach Ernst Middendorp has revealed what happened in Germany during his stint with SV Meppen, speaking exclusively to the Siya crew.
Following his sudden departure from Swallows (now Moroka Swallows) in March, Middendorp returned home where he took charge of Meppen, and later became the Director of Football in May after the club's relegation from Bundesliga 3.
Read: Pirates Update On Lepasa And Maela Fitness
The 64-year-old tactician is currently in Mzansi and assessing his options, after his unexpected exit from Tanzanian Premier League side Singida Fountain Gate, where he was the head coach.
"It was fantastic. This was a specific project that I attended because it was in my hometown and I really wanted to push to stay in the Bundesliga 3. Two matchdays more and I would have done it, and we would have made it. But they should have done it two or three weeks earlier and I am 100% sure that we would have made it," the coach told the Siya crew.
"I didn't want to leave because it's my hometown and I was like, 'I can't do this, I can't leave'. I ignored everything else I had coming my way and I had to decide between the Sporting Director and coaching positions. I promised to put the team together which was going to be functional. I planned on putting together a young team and the budget was absolutely restricted. The team is growing and they have a number of young players and there were injuries and so on," he said.
Read – Lovers: 'Zungu Doesn't Owe Social Media Any Apology'
"I was clear to the club about it to say, 'Okay, there will be a time that I will be going out'. I even met with the coach who took over, I met him three times. I met him during our pre-season and even during our first game of the season I invited him, unfortunately he couldn't come because of certain things. So, what does it tell you? I prepare adequately to ensure that there is a sustainable structure in place for a smooth operation going forward and that's what happened over there," concluded Middendorp.
