Chippa United defender Matome Mathiane has divulged the nitty-gritty of conversations between players and the owner of the club, Siviwe Mpengesi, amid the relegation dogfight they are embroiled in.
Chippa are second from the bottom in the DStv Premiership standings. In their bid to avoid relegation, the Chilli Boys have brought back coach Lehlohonolo Seema, replacing Siyabulela Gwambi, who lost the two games he was in charge of.
Seema, who will be in the dugout for the first time since his return when they host Kaizer Chiefs at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium tomorrow (3pm), is the fifth man to coach Chippa this season after Daine Klate, Morgan Mammila, Kurt Lentjies and Gwambi.
“The chairman has been coming to us to motivate us. He’s made us understand the importance of Chippa United to the people of Eastern Cape, so we are eager to make sure we save this status. We want to do it for our families because football is a job to us, meaning our families depend on it to make ends meet. We also want to save the status for the people of the Eastern Cape because this team means a world to them,” Mathiane told Sowetan yesterday.
Mathiane, who previously skippered Golden Arrows, has also revealed that the arrival of Seema has given renewed vitality to them as players. The 34-year-old defender thinks the fact that Seema coached the side before, between July and December 2020, is an advantage.
“Coach Seema has not changed anything as far as how we train is concerned, but we feel that new energy. Everyone is excited and raring to go. He’s been telling us that we can do it and we also believe that we can do it,” said Mathiane.
“I think it will also help that he [Seema] was here before. He knows most of the players here. He’s calm about the situation we are in and we are also buying into his calmness because he knows what he’s doing.”
Fixtures
Tomorrow: Chippa v Chiefs, Nelson Mandela Bay (3pm): Swallows v Maritzburg, Dobsonville (5.30pm).
Saturday: Royal v CPT, Chatsworth (3pm): Stellenbosch v Arrows, Danie Craven (5.30pm): AmaZulu v Sekhukhune, Moses Mabhida (8pm).
Sunday: Galaxy v Pirates, Mbombela (3pm).
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