Dlamini Talks About AmaZulu Job Ambitions

AmaZulu caretaker coach Ayanda Dlamini says he will leave everything to his chairman, Sandile Zungu on whether he gives him the head coach job permanently, or look for new name elsewhere.

Dlamini is serving as the caretaker coach, a fire-fighter of note, after the club removed Romain Folz and deployed him to president’s advisor last month.        

The former club striker, who was Folz’ assistant coach, has collected five points in the last four matches, including a 2-2 draw with champions Mamelodi Sundowns, which ensured the club’s DStv Premiership survival.

They have moved to 11th position and cannot be caught by 16th-placed Maritzburg United or 15th-placed Chippa United, though it is not meeting president Zungu’s high standards, with the president setting the target to finish inside the top four and fight for the league title.

That was the mandate to coach Brandon Truter, but as soon as he lost the grip and departed in October. Then came Folz, but more often than not, the French coach was out of his depth, struggling to get the best out of his players, which led the club to look to Dlamini once more.     

“I told you last week that I’m a very patient man, I still have to add more badges in my list. Whatever the decision the team chooses, I’m here and the president knows that I’ll follow whatever he says,” he replied to iDiski Times.

“If the president says ‘Ayanda, take over’, I won’t run away. If he says ‘we must bring someone else’, we will shake hands with the president and I will say ‘I’m fully with you president, you can do that. But every time you need me I will always be there, if I’m still here’.”

This is not the first time Dlamini is in this position. He took the Usuthu job alongside Moeneb Josephs in the 2019/20 season, when they were fighting for relegation after AmaZulu sacked coach Jozef Vukusic.

Then, too, Dlamini helped Usuthu to survive, finishing 13th in the table. He was given the Usuthu head coaching role on a three-year deal on 9 September 2020, with Allan Freese appointed as his assistant.

But on 7 December, Dlamini “voluntarily” stepped down as the club head coach, having been in charge of 13 games. He won three, drew seven, lost three. Usuthu were lying 13th on the 2020/21 season table then, with six points after six matches.  

Dlamini also reiterated his stance that more clubs should look at local coaches instead of always appointing coaches from outside the country. 

“Last week after the press conference, the comments on your story made people want to eat me alive,” Dlamini replied to the iDiski Times.

“I was speaking the truth [when I said some foreign coaches don’t deserve to get jobs in the PSL] and I can repeat it again, and what I said about my players.

“But that one [if I’m making it difficult for the president to appoint an outside coach], let’s leave it to the president.”