JOHANNESBURG — SuperSport United coach Kaitano Tembo has missed out on an opportunity to work with managers like Jose Mourinho, David Moyes and Roy Hodgson as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
During the international break which has since been cancelled, Tembo was set to spend time under the tutelage of the managers of English Premier League sides Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham United and Crystal Palace.
“Kaitano was supposed to go and spend time with Jose Mourinho at Spurs and with Roy Hodgson at Crystal Palace as well as David Moyes at West Ham United,” SuperSport chief executive Stan Matthews told IOL.
“It was a trip for him to study how the top coaches do things. But because of the coronavirus, it was called off.
“The principle was that Kaitano would go to England to develop as a coach. He obviously wants to learn and grow. But with travel now out of the question, we will facilitate those interactions on an online space. He will still have online sessions and one with Roy Hodgson is already confirmed.”
SuperSport have always prided themselves in the faith they show their managers and the stability in their technical team, with the likes of Pitso Mosimane and Gavin Hunt making a name for themselves at the club.
“The main thing for us is to invest in Kaitano and to make sure that he keeps up with the new trends of modern football. We did that with Pitso and Gavin, but we didn’t need to do that with Stuart Baxter,” Matthews continued.
“We didn’t really do that with him. But Kaitano is a young coach who is hungry to learn and he is the first to admit that he has a lot to learn. So, we want to give him that experience.”
“Some of that will take place locally and some internationally. We’ve also looked at our rugby and cricket counterparts, where we feel that an engagement can add value to Kaitano. We will look at local options while we wait for the international scene to unfold.
“What’s most important is that we want to invest in Kaitano. We want to develop him. We want him to grow. We want him to be an asset, not only to our football club, but to South African football.
— Sport24
