Die Another Day: Antipas, Matore safe for now

Raymond Jaravaza
FORMER Chicken Inn coach Joey Antipas, now with National First Division (NFD) side AmaZulu FC in South Africa, will not be taking a one-way trip back to Zimbabwe anytime soon.

There have been reports in the local media in Durban aï¿½ï¿½ the AmaZulu FC base aï¿½ï¿½ that Antipas had been shown the door as a result of poor results posted by the team lately.

But AmaZulu FC media officer Brilliant Mkhathini shot down the claims in an interview with B-Metro Sport.

aï¿½?On Monday a local newspaper here in Durban called Ilanga ran a fictitious story claiming that coach Joey Antipas had been fired with immediate effect. Nothing of that sort ever happened, we are not interested in entertaining that story because Antipas is still our coach,aï¿½? said Mkhathini.

The newspaper report in question claimed that Antipas had been replaced by Vladislav Heric, a Serbian national who once coached another NFD side Thanda Royal Zulu.

aï¿½?We started off on a winning streak at the start of the season then experienced a slump in form but we are not the kind of club to start pressing panic buttons. We sat down as a club, not to start pointing fingers at anyone, but to look at where things have gone wrong. It was a productive meeting and Iaï¿½ï¿½m happy to say we have started winning again.

aï¿½?We are fully behind the coach and we dismiss the newspaper article with the contempt it deserves,aï¿½? he said.

AmaZulu FC general manager Lunga Sokhela also told the clubaï¿½ï¿½s website that the directors, management and players were fully behind Antipas.

AmaZulu started the season strongly winning three games consecutively and a draw before hitting a rough patch with a four-match losing streak that sparked debate over the future of the coach.

Antipas won his last match 2-0 against Mbombela United at Princess Magogo Stadium in Durban last weekend to leave AmaZulu sixth on the log table.