Drama at Chippa United as coach Norman Mapeza quits

SOUTH AFRICA PREMIERSHIP side Chippa United coach Norman Mapeza resigned on Monday night, just less than two days after steering the team back to winning ways.

While no-one was immediately available to confirm the news, TimesLIVE can reveal that club bosses and the Zimbabwean coach, Mapeza were locked in a meeting which took hours as they tried to convince him to stay.

However, the meeting failed to resolve the impasse, which is believed to stem from a misunderstanding over the duties of the technical staff. Long-serving Chippa assistant coach Mbuyiselo Sambu will take over the reins as the team prepares for a league clash against Bidvest Wits away from home on Saturday.

“Yes I have been asked to take over the coaching duties until a new coach is found,” said Sambu.

Mapeza resigned just after steering the team to a 1-0 victory over AmaZulu, breaking a five-game winless streak that piled pressure on him. Chippa are 11th on the premiership standings, five points off the drop zone.– timeslive.co.za