Newly appointed coach Daniel Malesela has been tasked by taking Baroka FC back to the promotion top flight next season.
Malesela, who iDiski Times confirmed that he was going to take over at the club on Monday, was officially appointed until the end of the season, according to the club chairman Khurishi Mphahlele.
The former Mamelodi Sundowns development coach replaces Stanford Nkoane, who was sacked on Sunday following a 1-1 draw against Casric Stars at Solomon Mahlangu on Friday.
The 58-year-old Malesela was without a club after leaving Marumo Gallants in January this year last season.
“I’m sure everyone knows him, I don’t have to introduce him or tell you his name,” said Mphahlele at the club’s announcement at Global Village on Monday.
“You all know his name and he is going to be with us until the end of the season. Hopefully when we get to the DStv Premiership he will be with us.
“Because our aim is to get to the DStv Premiership next season and that is why we have a man like Dan here to sign with us.”
Baroka, who became the first Limpopo side to win a major trophy in the 2018/19 season when they stunned Orlando Pirates in the Telkom Knockout trophy, was relegated at the end of the 2021/22 season.
Malesela is well experienced in the PSL second tier, having coached United FC who he led to the semi final of the Nedbank Cup, Cape Town All Stars and TS Galaxy.
The latter led them to the Ke Yona Cup triumph in the 2018/19 season, beating Kaizer Chiefs in the final at the Moses Mabhida Stadium.
That is the record in the PSL where a team from the second tier won what is the version of the FA Cup in South Africa.
He was the runners-up of the same competition in the 2021/22 season with Gallants, losing to Mamelodi Sundowns at Royal Bafokeng Stadium.
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Malesela has also coached Royal AM, having been named as the co-coach at the beginning of last season but left them under the cloud in September last year, saying the co-coaching thing did not work for him because the identity of his style of play was going to be lost.
Malesela is taking over at Bakgaga side that is winless in the opening five matches of the Motsepe Foundation Championship which led to the departure of Nkoane.
“First of all it is to appreciate what the chairman did,” said Malesela after he signed a contract at his unveiling.
“We didn’t talk for too long, I think it was one or two days and we agreed. I was fortunate sometimes when I was with the other team (Gallants), I was driving with my technical team and (I said) I’m interested in seeing the village (Baroka’s Global) and fortunately the chairman was here and I was highly impressed with what I saw.”
