Muhsin Ertugral and Orlando Pirates parted ways in an unusual and abrupt fashion this past week, following a 6-1 drubbing by SuperSport United in the Soweto giants' first loss in seven league games so far this season.
While no one saw the separation coming, it is the manner in which it all unfolded that caught everyone's attention. As everyone knows, Pirates went into the half-time break leading 1–0 courtesy of a Tendai Ndoro goal, but came back from the break to experience possibly the team's worst second half performance since its inception! This is, by no means, an attempt to detract from Matsatsantsa a Pitori's much-deserved shine, because Coach Stuart Baxter and his charges deserve all the credit for arguably the most astounding come-back in PSL history. With Reneilwe Letsholonyane orchestrating the massive destruction from the midfield and becoming the chief destroyer that cast Ertugral into the unemployed zone, perhaps more noise should be made about them than the losing side. However, while there's nothing wrong with losing, it is how a team like Pirates surrendered their lead and ultimately lost in such an embarrassing manner that got people talking.
Rumour has it that Pirates' players vented their frustrations with Muhsin by 'throwing the game', in fact the second half, away. If this allegation is true – and I repeat if this allegation is true – shame on Pirates' players! We have heard all about 'player power', but throwing a game away to sabotage a coach is the lowest example of selfishness and unprofessionalism. If you can't play for the coach, how about you respect the paying supporters and the club that pays your salary. And what about FIFA's Fair Play and professional conduct laws, as this action is tantamount to match-fixing? Do we even realise the seriousness of these allegations and the consequences they may have, if proven true? Again, no one has come up with any proof to back-up this claim, so I sincerely hope there's no truth to this. However, if there is, the case should be treated with the seriousness it deserves. There's more to a game of football than just three points, as people pay a lot of money to go to the stadiums and also invest a great deal of emotion in their teams. We have consistently, in this column, lamented the poor attendance figures at our PSL matches. So when supporters hear of these allegations, how are they expected to think and react?
It is also rumoured that there was interference in the change room at half-time, resulting in the confusion that worked against the initial game plan. For years now, we've been hearing murmurs of 'sabotage' almost every time a coach leaves Pirates – this makes a mockery of one of the biggest and oldest teams in the country. Pirates is no Mickey Mouse club and the sooner the club's chairman, Dr Irvin Khoza, gets to the bottom of this, the better! I was happy to hear him promising to look into the allegations and sort out whatever issues resulted in Muhsin's abrupt departure, but more important will be the action taken once the investigations are concluded. Pirates' supporters deserve better than this and these constant allegations detract from the club's focus. The fact that the club hasn't managed to build on their double-treble success makes these allegations even more believable.
Khoza is expected to hold an exit interview with Muhsin to get his side of the story and try to get to the bottom of all the allegations. He also promised to do a proper investigation into all of the reported shenanigans that have taken place in the team and issued a stern warning that, if need be, heads will roll. One can only hope that the findings of these investigations will not gather dust in the Colonel's office, but rather be acted upon. It is time for Khoza to act!
Even Ertugral should not escape unscathed following his outburst and inappropriate conduct, resigning on television before even engaging with the team's management. That was unbecoming of an experienced coach of his calibre. The best thing he could have done was simply take full responsibility for the loss by saying, "I raise my hand and take full responsibility for this embarrassing loss. I would like to apologise to the club, the supporters and everyone associated with this big brand. In my coaching career, I have never seen anything like this and it is such a disgrace to the club's legacy and the badge, but we have to regroup and bounce back. That's all I can say." That would have been enough and completely professional, instead of emotionally throwing in the towel and deserting his post. For me, this kind of behaviour is not good enough for our football. Having said that, for a coach like Ertugral to just quit like that does suggest that there were factors at play behind the scenes.
Pirates appointed Muhsin knowing very well what they were letting themselves in for. They knew about his temperamental and emotional nature but, because of the quality he's shown and the tactical discipline and structure he always applies in his teams, they hoped things would work out. Unfortunately it did not. However, unless Khoza does something about the allegations surfacing every now and then, even a coach like Pep Guardiola would find it difficult to succeed at Pirates.
Cheers
VeeJay
