A famous local DJ, who is a staunch Mamelodi Sundowns supporter, wondered what all the fuss over Chippa United was about this week, especially given that the two sides played to a goalless draw in the first leg of their MTN8 semi-final clash in PE on Sunday.
I, too, would have shared the same sentiments if Chippa had only turned their performance up a notch because they were playing the reigning Absa Premiership champions.
But that would have been looking at just one match in isolation instead of the club over several months. The Chilli Boys are certainly deserving of the hullabaloo. Their meteoric rise is impressive for a team founded in 2010. And it is funny how the man we all criticised for running it like a tuck shop when he hired and fired coaches at the drop of a hat (owner Chippa Mpengesi has brought in 11 to date), is the one responsible again for eventually recruiting a trainer that can probably sustain their long term success in Dan Malesela.
Under his tutelage, Chippa managed to finish in the top eight bracket last season for the first time in the club’s short history and they did so dishing out some incredible football. Malesela’s appointment had initially raised some eyebrows.
In November last year, the maverick Mpengesi roped in the former defender as an assistant to Roger Sikhakhane, who was controversially placed on special leave two weeks later for apparently pitching up at a training session reeking of alcohol. It seemed a no-brainer for the chairman to hand Malesela the head coaching job on a permanent basis.
While I still think Sikhakhane was hard done by, it is impossible to deny that his replacement has been a breath of fresh air. It is early days, but many are tipping the Chilli Boys as the dark horses in the Premier League title race. I know - us 'experts' might be overreaching.
But anyone who’s seen this Chippa team in action during the previous season and in the three matches they have played in the current campaign, will also find it difficult to argue that they are unlikely to be the surprise package.
What is most pleasing about the arrangement at Chippa is the fact that Mpengesi - a man who sent Manqoba Mngqithi packing after just two matches in August 2012 and went on to sack a few more coaches whenever the mood struck him - took a chance on an improbable candidate and appears to be backing him all the way.
One has to admire their approach during the winter transfer period as well, beefing up a squad that had already shown immense potential to finish a place behind Kaizer Chiefs and ahead of Orlando Pirates and SuperSport United on the log last season.
Malesela is also giving local coaches hope, especially at a time when Steve Komphela, at a massive club like Chiefs, and Shakes Mashaba at Bafana Bafana are under heavy scrutiny. Pirates quickly ditched a homegrown coach in Eric Tinkler because it simply wasn’t working. But here is “Dan Danceâ€ù, a sight for sore eyes.
@superjourno
@extrastrongsa
The Star