Sport Matters

The sacking of Kaitano Tembo as the SuperSport United head coach in the South African premier league has left a bitter taste in the mouth. Tembo had taken the reigns at the Pretoria-based club in 2018, taking over from Eric Tinkler who had a somewhat difficult short stint in charge. Things changed for the better when Tembo stepped in, despite United finishing sixth at the end of the season. The following season, 2019/20, he delivered the MTN8 cup. Tembo was enjoying a working understanding with his youthful squad as many of the players were developed under his watch in the club's relatively successful academy. That season he finished fifth in the league, same position as in 2020/21. His work in the past two seasons has been made difficult by him losing his key players, mainly to crosstown rich boys, Mamelodi Sundowns. The heaviest blow was when United's talisman Teboho Mokoena left for Sundowns in January this year, leaving Tembo and the team in serious limbo. Before him,