With the so called 'Big Three' now having foreign coaches at the helm, former Orlando Pirates coach Roger de Sa has given his opinion on local football while also predicting that the title race will be tighter when compared to previous seasons.
Miguel Cardoso of Mamelodi Sundowns, following his appointment last week, has joined Orlando Pirates coach Jose Riveiro and Nasreddine Nabi of Kaizer Chiefs as foreign coaches leading the so-called big three in the Betway Premiership. The last time a foreign coach won the league in South Africa was in 2014/15, when Stuart Baxter led Amakhosi to the title.
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De Sa, however, believes anyone can coach when there is money. It's the coaches at other clubs that he respects more, for the work they are doing to be competitive in the league.
"We haven't had a foreign coach win the league for a long time, hey? I'll leave it at that," De Sa said
"I value a guy like Steve Barker who has done exceptionally well. The Polokwane City coach (Phuti Mohafe) has done exceptional work. He's got a team of nobodies in the top three. Chippa United have had a great run. That's coaching for me. That's real coaching. Anyone can coach with a chequebook. My Rottweiler can coach with a chequebook. Those are the ones I respect and admire. Those are the guys who are coaching, in the true sense of the word."
De Sa expects the title race to be a lot tighter this season, which would certainly create more excitement in the local game.
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"I think this season will be tight. I looked at the teams from 10th place upwards. Two wins in a row can drastically change your position on the log, which is good. As good as Sundowns were, we don't want that. It was good for Sundowns, but it's not an ideal scenario when you have one team running away 20 points clear. You want that fight, where every game becomes important. That's good for the game. Just got to get Chiefs challenging as well," De Sa said to the Siya crew.
"It's good to see Polokwane up there and smaller teams as well making a run. I just hope they can sustain it."
