Team bleeds coaches in new move

BLACK Leopards licked their wounds after their reliable assistant coach, Joel Masutha, and the club’s fitness trainer, Madoda Moyo, jumped ship to join former Lidoda Duvha coach Kostadin Papic at the newly promoted PSL club, Chippa United.

Masutha played professional football for Black Leopards as their number one goalkeeper.

His coaching career took off in 2008 when he was made Lidoda Duvha’s interim coach after the club parted ways with the then coach, Boebie Solomons, who is now the head coach at Polokwane City.

Masutha went on to work as an assistant coach for Vladislav Heric both at Leopards and African Warriors.

The soft spoken Masutha was once the head coach of Dynamos FC, but fate saw him reunite with Leopards as their head of development. He also coached Lidoda Duvha’s feeder club, Phungo All Stars.

Masutha was head hunted by Papic and the duo’s combination saw Leopards only narrowly missing out on promotion to the PSL.

“There was nothing sinister about my departure from Leopards. My contract expired and it was not renewed. Coach Papic was happy with our working relationship and I ended up joining Chippa. I enjoy my life there so far,” said Masutha, who has been handed a two-year-deal by the Port Elizabeth based club.

Another member who left the Leopards technical team is fitness trainer Madoda Moyo. Under his watchful eye Lidoda Duvha was deemed the fittest team in the National First Division by many.

Leopards has since moved swiftly to replace the duo, with Solly Luvhengo and Aschwin Sutton taking charge of the club.

With three weeks remaining before the start of the new season, Leopards have yet to announce the man to replace Papic, with rumours mounting that Sutton with take the head coach position, assisted by Luvhengo.

Masutha and Moyo’s move to Chippa United has taken the total number of former Leopards employees who joined the Siviwe Mpengeni owned club to five, including Papic, David Zulu and Dino Visser.