Moorosi Tsiane
FORMER LCS coach Mpitsa Marai is heading to his boyhood team, Liphakoe, to take over from head coach Teele Ntšonyana.
Ntšonyana’s contract ended last season.
Marai is leaving the correctional service outfit after the management demoted him to assistant coach while promoting his assistant Shalane Lehohla to head coach.
The former Liphakoe, Arsenal, LCS and Likuena defender could not stomach the changes and resigned after five years with Masheshena.
Sources said Marai, who also works as Likuena assistant coach, has been negotiating Liphakoe for a long time and might be announced the new head coach soon.
“He has been negotiating with Liphakoe and the deal is now close to finalisation so much that he will be announced the new coach soon,” a source said.
LCS general manager Lehlohonolo Matlosa confirmed Marai’s request to be released. He however, said they were yet to release him.
“The management last week decide to make some changes in the technical team with Shalane being promoted to the head coach position while Marai was appointed his assistant.
“However, Marai decided to resign but the management is yet to decide whether or not to release him,” Matlosa said.
Matlosa could not be drawn into divulging whether Marai was demoted because of poor performance or because of his Likuena post. Marai was appointed to the Likuena post in 2016.
“I can’t say it was because he is working with Likuena. He still had time to attend to the team but again, I will not get into the full details on why the technical team was reshuffled,” he said.
Liphakoe communications and marketing manager Tau Sebatli was also reluctant to confirm Marai’s move.
“I am not in a position to reveal names now but we are still looking for a coach and very soon we will announce the new coach. For now, we don’t have a coach but hopefully, we will announce a new coach before this week ends,” Sebatli said.
