De Jongh Wants Lizwe Sweswe To Be Replaced With Mandla Mpofu At FC Platinum - Report

Unconfirmed reports in the football circles are saying FC Platinum’s coach Hendrick Pieter De Jongh wants FC Planimun vice Coach Lizwe Sweswe offloaded and he wants his former colleague Mandla Mpofu to replace him, The Sunday News reports.

A source that spoke to the publication described de Jongh as a man who has “an ego the size of an elephant” who when he joined Highlanders wanted a lot of people gone:

Because Mandla had been the head coach he wanted him gone, he wanted the doctor to go, he wanted the physiotherapist Loyal Nyika to go, he wanted the team doctor (Shepherd Khumalo) to go, he wanted team manager Vezigama Dlodlo gone, he even wanted the bus driver to go.

He basically had disagreements with everybody but these things were kept under wraps because Highlanders wanted to paint a rosy picture.

The source was commenting on reports that De Jongh wants Mandla Mpofu to replace Sweswe who he reportedly wants to go when he said:

Pieter de Jongh had a heated exchange with Mandla after he had claimed in a technical meeting that the win over Bulawayo Chiefs was his and Mandla questioned that. He wanted Mandla fired from the first team and replaced by Mabaleka but the club leadership was firm and told De Jongh that he has to work with those he found at the club

Mandla humbled himself, he listened to what the club administration advised him. From there on, De Jongh started relying more on Mandla for analysis, maybe that’s why he wants him. The talk of de Jongh wanting Mandla has been going on for a while, of course people will deny that because Sweswe is under contract.

It’s not surprising if he is having problems with Sweswe, it was always going to come. He has an ego the size of an elephant. Maybe FC Platinum will be able to tame him. To some of us, more is going to come, with time he will clash with a lot of people at FC Platinum.

Both Highlanders and de Jongh refused to comment on the developments the former saying they cant comment on the issue because they want to remain respectful to their opponents and Sweswe said he was not aware there were plans to offload him.

More: The Sunday News