AmaZulu president Sandile Zungu has told iDiski Times that Romain Folz still has the backing of the club despite the recent poor results and also explained why the Frenchman was handed a new three-year deal.
Folz, 32, was handed a new three-year deal in February, which will kick in on 1 July but has only won only one out of the five matches since, losing the last two – in the Nedbank Cup last 16 to Dondol Stars and Stellenbosch respectively.
Folz was appointed by Usuthu in October last year after the departure of Brandon Truter, who according to sources had lost the dressing room, with some players circling on him to be fired.
Truter indirectly confirmed his dressing room issues in an interview with this publication, saying there were some players at AmaZulu that he will never work with again.
This time, though, Usuthu’s leadership around Zungu decided, instead of showing Folz the door due to the poor results, to address the big elephant in the room and release players who they feel have divided the dressing room, with Ramahlwe Mphahlele, Keagan Buchanan and veteran striker Lehlonololo Majoro all set to leave the club at the end of the season, as reported by iDiski Times.
Zungu confirmed to this publication that he still believes in Folz’s long-term vision for the club, even though results haven’t been forthcoming.
“What I like about Fohloza, he is building the team for the future,” Zungu told iDiski Times.
“I have realised that, to rely on coaches that would give me instant results, but if the fabric for the future is not clear, it won’t work.
“Because what it means, with every year I have to find new players who will make me win every game and most of the time are the players who are starting to tire up or they are ageing.
“Each time I’m signing players who were released by Kaizer Chiefs, Orlando Pirates or Mamelodi Sundowns because they are used to winning, but they are going to give me one season and two seasons at most and it is over.
“Then, I said I’m happy with the approach of Fohloza to say ‘Look, I’m going to build the team, build a culture that I think will help in the long term run, but we will not have instant results’.
“Results may not be forthcoming in the short term, but trust me in the long term, those results will be coming. It was important for me to say ‘Fohloza, you are secured’.”
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Zungu also revealed the Frenchman was handed a new three-year deal because there was interest in Fohloza, who could’ve left at the end of the season when his initial short-term deal had expired..
“There were other people who were after him because they have seen what I have seen,” said Zungu.
“They were about to take him so I had to secure him and say ‘just coach until the end of the season. I know what I want from you, but you are secured’,” he explained
The trust shown by Zungu in Folz doesn’t come as a surprise. After Truter was let go in October, it was Zungu who took the initiative to appoint him, involving no agents.
Story by Robin-Duke Madlala (@duke_robin).
