Cape Town Spurs Chief Executive Officer Alexi Efstathiou has opened up on the club’s struggles after suffering seven straight defeats and parting ways with head coach Shaun Bartlett.
Spurs returned to the topflight football after a five-year absence, gaining promotion via the promotional playoffs four months ago. Since making a return things haven’t gone accordingly as they find themselves sitting bottom, after seven straight losses.
Earlier today Spurs confirmed Bartlett’s exit, and joining him at the exit door will be assistant Nasief Morris and goalkeeper coach Calvin Marlin, as the club looks to bring in an entirely new technical team in the coming days.
Speaking with iDiski Times, Efstathiou explained what the club’s downfall might have been and what the mandate was for coach Shaun Bartlett when they renewed his contract at the end of last season.
“For the club itself, it’s been really tough because obviously, our goal was to get promoted directly, to win the league, which we actually threw away the last day, unfortunately. Because we knew that if we achieved that our preparation time would have been ideal. And we had to live with getting a second bite at the cherry, which we managed then to do it, but then it was at the expense of losing that those few weeks.” Efstathiou told iDiski Times.
“So, by that time, a lot of teams have already started training, maybe players that were available that we could possibly bring in that we had identified, were not available. Then you are left with less of a choice, then obviously, the way we operate a club is the coach gets a big say in which player we bring in.
“So, Coach decided he’d keep those 18 players from NFD. And then we’d fill in with more experienced PSL-type of players. But again, that wasn’t as easy as we thought it would be. Because it wasn’t just for the sake of bringing a player.
“So the mandate was don’t get relegated, that will give us time to stabilise, and then as we go, build the team for the following season and season thereafter. So there’s no such thing as getting rid of everyone, starting from scratch, because that would have been also suicidal so you had to start somewhere. So the core that we had was a good start. And then obviously build from that. So that’s the route that we took.”
Efstathiou also addressed supporters’ complaints of the club not signing ‘big’ players, and said, unfortunately, wage demands made it impossible.
“We’re a principled club, when we sign a player we want to pay them at the end of the month,” Efstathiou added.
“Okay? For far too long in South African football, it’s been allowed that clubs buy players, don’t pay for them, offer them astronomical salaries, then don’t pay those salaries.
“Okay, and then? And then the team finishes top eight and everyone applauds. So the team that’s trying to do things the right way, like in our case, we know we have a constricted budget, actually lose out, because it’s not a level playing field.
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“How’s that normal? So no one sees that side of the picture.”
