Musa Nyatama has dedicated the feat of guiding Swallows to the top eight finish to his late father, revealing he’ll now mourn him as he never did when he passed away because of work commitments.
Swallows garnered their fourth successive win when they beat Marumo Gallants 2-0 to send them out of the DStv Premiership on the final day of the season at Dobsonville Stadium at the weekend. Lindokuhle Mtshali netted a brace for the Birds. The Birds finished eighth.
“I’d like to dedicate this top eight finish to my father Samuel Nkomo. You know I lost him when we were playing against AmaZulu [on April 1]. He was 79 years old and he was sick before passing away. I couldn’t even go to bury him...that shows the level of commitment [for his job] from my side,” Nyatama said.
“It was a very difficult time for me but I had to push myself and be strong. Now it’s the right time for me to grieve. I can now grieve in peace knowing that the team is safe.”
Nyatama refused to take the credit for Swallows’ upturn in form in the later stages of the season, lauding his troops instead. Nyatama was given the reigns when Ernst Middendorp unceremoniously abandoned the ship to return to his native country, Germany, in March.
“Credit must go to the players. As much as we were pushing them as coaches, they are the ones who did the job. They were able to listen and learn. As a footballer, you need to be coachable and we have coachable players here at Swallows,” Nyatama said.
Nyatama, 35, insisted that the ball was in Swallows hierarchy’s court to decide whether he stays put. “It will depend on management. I don’t hold that power, management will decide if they still want to keep me. At the moment, let’s celebrate this achievement and rest a bit,” Nyatama said.
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