Da Gama pours his heart out after Leopards’ relegation  |

Black Leopards head coach Owen Da Gama has poured his heart out after his efforts to save the club from relegation failed.

Leopards were relegated from the Motsepe Foundation Championship after they lost 2-0 to Platinum City Rovers on Saturday. The result sends them packing to the third tier of South African football. 

Da Gama joined the Vhembe-based outfit in February this year, replacing Johnny Ferreira, who had resigned. 

The ex-Bafana Bafana assistant coach, Da Gama, noted that things could have turned out differently if he had joined the club in November or December 2022. 

When Da Gama took over the coaching reigns at Leopards, they were placed at the bottom of the log standings with 13 points from 17 outings. 

However, the highly-rated mentor couldn’t save the club like how Coach Joel Masutha did last campaign.

‘I GAVE IT MY ALL’ 

“You know, we gave it our all. We gave everything we can give. We worked very hard. I don’t know if the timing was the problem,” Da Gama told FARPost. 

“There are no excuses, but it could have been better if I came in a little bit earlier, maybe around November or December to assess the players, make a few changes and strengthen the team.

“But all I can say is that I gave it my all. The technical team gave its all, and the players gave their all. However, it was never meant to be. 

“It’s rather sad, but God knows why all of this happens, and we live to fight another day.”

WHAT OWEN DA GAMA HAS OBSERVED SINCE JOINING LEOPARDS 

Da Gama went on to state what he has observed since joining Leopards and he thinks that there are certain things that need to be improved on. 

“I just think there are certain things that need to be improved on. But the chairman tried his best to support us,” he added. 

“All I can say is that you need a proper pre-season to build a foundation, and you also need a very good balance in your team. 

“You know, when there are one or two key players out, you start struggling. So, I just think the balance within the team for me could have been better with a little bit of experienced players.”

The well-traveled coach continued: “The first thing I said when I got here, I needed a striker and a defender. You know, you must defend well and also score goals. So, those are the two. 

“But it was that time of the year when things were very difficult. As I said before, you can’t blame anybody because everyone gave it their all.”

As things stand, Leopards are placed at the basement of the second tier table with 22 points after 28 games.

With all being said, nothing can save them from the chop even if they win their last two matches. 

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