Chippa United coach Lehlohonolo Seema has discussed his own future at the club, saying he doesn’t know what the future holds for him with the club after he saved them from relegation.
He said he was asked to be in charge of four matches and he did that and everything is now left in the hands of his chairman Siviwe Mpengesi.
Seema was appointed last month with four games to go, replacing Siyabulela Gwambi, who had been given just two matches after Kurt Lentjies was demoted to reserve league.
After Gwambi had lost his first two matches – against Marumo Gallants and Sekhukhune United respectively – trigger-happy chairman, Mpengesi opted to trust Seema to save the club’s status.
With an axe right on the neck of Chippa, Seema was brought in to be the fire-fighter and did so by winning one game, losing two and drawing the other of the four matches in charge.
That draw against Arrows on Saturday was crucial as it was enough to see them finish 14th on the table and avoid the play-offs completely.
Instead, Maritzburg United finished in 15th based on the one goal worse goal difference, and they will feature in the play-offs, while Gallants were relegated to the Motsepe Foundation Championship.
“I know before I can even be asked this question, yes, I was asked to come and be in charge for four games,” said Seema after the match.
“After four games, it is done. So what is happening in the next two, three, four, five days, I don’t know.
“But I was asked to come and work for these four [match] days and so I will still have to hear the way forward.”
Seema, who was the fifth coach to lead Chippa this season after Daine Klate, Morgan Mammila, Lentjies and Gwambi were all removed, was relieved to see the club’s status saved.
“This is a big day for people in the Eastern Cape and supporters of this club,” he added.
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“We knew that when the whistle blew, we were number 15 and we accepted our fate and we said ‘guys, the point that we have, without doing anything after just a whistle has gone, we are going to go for the playoffs’.
“But after Maritzburg United played [by getting a draw on Tuesday against Mamelodi Sundowns], we knew that we needed [at least a draw], so the message was easy ‘let us not lose this game if we cannot win the match. Whatever that will happen elsewhere, it doesn’t matter because we were ready for the playoffs’.”
