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Luc Eymael had the poisonous chalice in his hands on Wednesday when Chippa United appointed the Belgian as their new coach “until the end of the season.”
Eymael replaces Lehlohonolo Seema, who was suspended by the club Tuesday night pending a board meeting and then fired less than 24 hours later.
Seema’s firing is the latest episode in the never-ending saga of hiring and firing coaches at the Port Elizabeth club.
Chippa released a statement late Wednesday afternoon saying that Eymael’s first game in charge will be the DStv Premiership game against SuperSport United at Lucas Moripe Stadium on January 6.
“The club confirms that it met with former coach Lehlohonolo Seema on Wednesday, where the consensus of both parties was to separate with immediate effect,” the statement read.
Eymael has trained in Belgium and Africa and was also in charge when the Free State Stars won the Nedbank Cup in 2018.
Triggerman and club boss Siviwe Mpengesi was quoted in the statement as saying: “Our ambition was to have an improved season compared to the way the team has fought relegation in recent seasons.
“One of Eymael’s responsibilities is to finish in the top eight this season.
“We would like to wish Seema the best in her future endeavors and thank her for her contribution.”
Just two months ago, Mpengesi vowed to be more patient with Coach Seema.
On Wednesday, he suspended Seema for just eight games this season.
When Seema left her job at Bloemfontein Celtic to join the Bay team, Mpengesi said she saw something special in her new coach.
Seema reminds me of Roger Sikhakhane.
“He is my son. We click, we bond and we’re going to be patient with him, ”he said on October 19.
“With this we can see that he is a coach with vision.
“We believe that with him we will achieve great things.”
Almost as if to throw an obstacle in Seema’s path early on, the club eliminated 15 veteran players before the new season.
Seema stayed with a lot of new young people.
Then Mpengesi surprisingly sold his captain and goalkeeper Veli Mothwa to AmaZulu shortly after the start of the new season.
With that lack of stability, it is no wonder the Port Elizabeth team suffered their fifth loss in eight games, losing 3-1 to AmaZulu at Kings Park Stadium in Durban on Sunday.
The team is on a five-game winless streak, with its only success being a 3-1 win against wrestler Maritzburg United.
The bad start to the league is the motivation behind the club’s decision to part ways with Seema.
Mpengesi told Seema in an email sent Tuesday night that her fate would be decided by a board meeting Wednesday afternoon.
The news of Seema’s suspension came as a surprise to many because on Tuesday the club’s chief operating officer, Lukhanyo Mzinzi, said the coach’s job was safe.
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