SuperSport United CEO Stan Matthews has revealed that Daine Klate, the club’s three-time Premiership champion, has a future at the club. Klate, who is now retired, began his coaching career in the topflight when he was appointed head coach at Chippa United earlier this season, but his tenure lasted only a couple of months.
Matthews told the Siya crew that SuperSport have a history of honouring former players who have gone into coaching, such as Andre Arendse, Thabo September, Grant Johnson and more recently Jabu Maluleka, who is helping the first team with set pieces while also coaching the under-19 side.
“Daine would be the kind of candidate I would bring back to the club. If you say to me ‘will Daine be part of the future of SuperSport United Football Club?’ and you say to me ‘yes or no’, then I would say yes. There is a future for Daine Klate at SuperSport. It’s not now, because we are full and we just took Jabu (Maluleka) and I am steered by my head coach and Gavin wanted Jabu in and we were comfortable with that,” Matthews said.
Matthews went on to explain that Jabu was chosen ahead of other candidates due to his conduct while at the club, both on and off the field.
“The reason Jabu was ahead of the other candidates was because of the way Jabu left us. Even though he went to Polokwane City, it’s the way he conducted himself while he was with us and how he behaved as a player at training and off the field, with sponsors and management. The way he conducted himself is the reason he is at the club. But you don’t see that a lot in footballers today. Footballers today think they can behave with impunity and say and do what they like,” Matthews added.
Klate is a SuperSport United legend, having won three consecutive Premiership titles with the Tshwane outfit, as well as knockout competitions under Pitso Mosimane and Gavin Hunt. While there are no positions open at SuperSport at the moment, Matthews seemed sure that Klate would return to the club in future.
