Former Chippa United COO, Thabiso "Shooz" Mekuto, who suddenly quit his post after a mere two months, believes he can write a book on his experiences following the club's move to Port Elizabeth.
But the 42-year-old doesn't want to spill too many beans at this stage, instead he has painted an overall behind-the-scenes picture covering both the positives and negatives.
"I didn't know that a person could learn so much in such a short space of time. Firstly, the people there are really hungry for the game, which was the one thing which drove me to make a difference. It took me just one day to meet the stadium's MD, Riaan Oberholzer, and we were quickly on the same page. Remember that the Nelson Mandela Stadium is the only venue in the country where rugby and soccer is equally shared. Our offices were not far from each other. That was an ideal world, one of the best case scenarios in what you'd call the new South Africa - therefore it was a moving period for me!" he told the Siya crew.
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On the negative side, he feels lack of proper planning prior to the team's move, meant their performance, as well as the coach's planning, were initially affected.
"We were forty people stuck in PE with nowhere to go. If you're going to relocate first find all your office space, accommodation etc. Whether it be a hotel, guesthouse or flat for a player, that was not done in advance so we spent most of our time running around. You can't settle in a new city when players are also trying to find their feet," he added.
Interestingly, Mekuto, who spent 14 years at Ajax Cape Town, often struggled to understand "all the politics" surrounding football games at the Cape Town Stadium, but had special praise for PE stadium's management.
"The only thing I can say is 'wow'. I told the people at Green Point that they need to see how their PE counterparts tolerate a football match on a Friday night followed by a Saturday rugby game," he explained. As far as his future is concerned, Mekuto has a vision to bring top-class football to the Mother City. "Ninety percent of the province's fans watch the English game so it's just a question of putting my mind to it in order that their teams can play here," Mekuto concluded.
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