Steve Khompela in Limbo at Swallows FC
Information doing the rounds is that former Mamelodi Sundowns and Kaizer Chiefs coach Steve Komphela is in limbo at the Dobsonville-based Moroka Swallows.
According to Radio 2000, Komphela has yet to return to training at Swallows since the start of the year.
Some media outlets reported that Komphela has been denied entry at the club’s training base but the ex-Sundowns and Chiefs mentor dismissed the claims.
As widely in the South African media space, Swallows were slapped with a fine of R1 million for their failure to honour the two fixtures last year and R600 000 suspended for 24 months.
Swallows failed to pitch for their DStv Premiership matches against Sundowns and Golden Arrows back in December owing to player strike over unpaid salaries.
In their response to the boycott, Swallows opted to fire 22 of its players but it’s reported that some are training with the club.
“I haven’t been denied entry. I’m still waiting for our front office to communicate their intentions because as I said, on the 27th of December just before we played Mamelodi Sundowns, and again on the 30th when we were supposed to play Golden Arrows, and both matches were cancelled,” said Komphela on Radio 2000.
“The season was cancelled and further on, a message was sent to say pre-season should not start until further notice.
“That further notice hasn’t come and I haven’t been to Moroka Swallows with respect and I had not been at the training facilities.
“I don’t know the story that I was not allowed entry and where does it come from but I’m still waiting.
“The season restarts next week and maybe there will be a chance for us to find sanity and a way forward but as it is, I’m just looking at the picture and watching the movie unfold.”
The seasoned PSL coach and former Bafana Bafana defender added that a lot of things have changed at the Dube Birds nest.
He also reveals why he opted to join the embattled club after leaving Masandawana at the beginning of the current campaign.
“My challenge is that I don’t want to discuss issues that I haven’t discussed with the club yet. I came to Moroka Swallows to help in a way and at some point we were number four on the log,” added the former Chiefs boss.
“We were the second best defensively and the team was getting there up until unfortunately, we had our own self-inflicted challenges.
“As to what’s going to happen when I go back there (I don’t know) because there’s a lot of things that have changed.
“There were players that were expelled and I didn’t know about it, there were disciplinary hearings and I didn’t know about it and there were trials that were conducted and I didn’t know (about them).
“A lot of preparation has been happening in your absence. How do you take hold of the steering wheel of a car you never built?
“I still respect the fact that they are an existing club and an entity but a lot of things happened that I’ve never seen in football before since I played or coached. I’ve never seen anything like this in my life.”
Swallows return to their domestic schedule with a clash against Cape Town City on Tuesday away from home but it remains to be seen who will be in the technical area.
Read: Kaizer Chiefs announce new deals for Bvuma, Petersen and Ngcobo
