Benni McCarthy has revealed what really went wrong at AmaZulu, saying he told president Sandile Zungu a long time ago about the many issues behind the scenes at Usuthu but he didn’t listen.
Zungu has announced several changes ahead of the 2023/24 season, with 11 players set to depart, while caretaker coach Ayanda Dlamini and technical advisor Romain Folz also left.
However, Zungu has also wielded the axe on several admin roles in the club, with general manager Tshepiso Mofokeng, team scout Ayanda Mkhize and team manager Qedi Dlamini among those who are leaving, as reported by iDiski Times.
McCarthy, watching on from afar after securing a gig with Premier League giants United, somewhat feels vindicated over the changes, because he already told Zungu when he was still at the club that they were needed.
“I wanted some changes made because I just felt the direction that I wanted to take the club, myself and my technical team, the way we work and the obstacles that we had, it was not on par with some of the people working in the club,” he told Robert Marawa on MSW.
“I just felt every time we made 10 steps forward, these people take you five steps backward. It was just constantly like fighting against an opposition within your own club.
“So when I was speaking to the chairman, the president about maybe making changes and yes it’s a difficult decision but in football sometimes you’ve to make hard decisions, if you want to succeed, if you want to make the right things.
“And now after all the changes that I wanted to be made I see they are happening now. They are making those changes because look where the club is now, if only he had decided to bear with me and make the changes for the better of the club, I would’ve probably still be at AmaZulu and AmaZulu would’ve probably be contesting for top-four spots.”
McCarthy, though, doesn’t seem to hold much of a grudge towards his former club, and admitted that after the Usuthu door closed an even better door opened for him.
“But unfortunately the club, the president, the chairman, everybody connected to the club, they didn’t see what I saw the potential and they didn’t want to make the changes that needed to be made in terms for the club to advance and to continue to build on that good season that we had, finishing second and qualifying for the CAF Champions League.
“Not even halfway through the next season they thought it was best to part ways with me and the club could seek better management, a better coach than me, so we agreed and I stepped out the way and let them pursuit whatever they wanted to pursuit, it was definitely not with me, I wished them all the very best.
“This me now, I’ve got to be grateful to them, because me leaving has given me time to be at home and then get the opportunity to go and become a first-team coach at Manchester United and AmaZulu is back to where they were when I walked through the door.”
