Saturday, Ernst Middendorp, head coach of Swallows FC, snubbed his former
club Kaizer Chiefs when asked which team he enjoyed coaching the most.
Middendorp holds the record of the highest number of matches in the PSL
for a foreign coach, having first arrived in South Africa to coach Chiefs
in 2005.
The German tactician has had stints at various clubs in the DStv
Premiership, including Golden Arrows, Maritzburg United, Free State Stars
and Chippa United. When asked which club treated him the best as a coach,
Middendorp said that his time at Free State Stars was the most rewarding.
“Definitely, the biggest happiness in terms of implementing ideas fully,
even if it was a short time was definitely Free State Stars,” Middendorp
said on Marawa Sports Worldwide. “You will be surprised but everyone was
thinking, ‘No, this Mike Mokoena is interfering, he’s telling you what to
do’ and so on. The opposite was the case. He made it very clear what he
expected, ja that was definitely a fantastic time,” he added.
Middendorp came close to winning two major trophies in his second spell at
Amakhosi, narrowly losing the Nedbank Cup final 1-0 to then second-tier
side TS Galaxy in 2019 and losing the Premiership title on the final
matchday the following season.
The coach went on to say that when it comes to the running of the club
Chiefs are at “the highest level” but suggested that it is in the
technical matters where they lack. “Professionally of course, there are a
team like Kaizer Chiefs has a professional (side), of course I was not
really happy at the end of the time with certain circumstances, no doubt
about it,” he said. “But the professionalism on the club side is on the
highest level, there’s no doubt about it. I wish they can indicate a
certain development, a certain direction. And use the resources that they
have to the maximum. It’s what I’m always talking about
