Mbabane Highlanders AM general manager Richard Makhoba has hit back at former head coach Floyd Mogale following their public disagreement over the circumstances surrounding the South African coach's departure from the Eswatini club.

Makhoba has strongly criticised Mogale's coaching ability, describing him as a plumber and a shame to football coaching. The general manager insists that the club dismissed the coach because of what he considers incompetence, contradicting Mogale's claims about the reasons behind his departure.

The disagreement comes after Mogale accused Makhoba of interfering with his work during his time in charge of Mbabane Highlanders. The former Mamelodi Sundowns scout believes the general manager's involvement in football matters made it difficult for him to carry out his responsibilities as head coach.

Mogale said Makhoba wanted to change the team's style of play by bringing in attacking players and influencing how the side approached matches. According to the coach, those ideas did not fit his football philosophy.

He also pointed to the team's progress during his time in charge, highlighting their achievement of reaching a final for the first time in 10 years. Although Mbabane Highlanders eventually lost the final on penalties, Mogale believes the team's performance showed that his methods were producing positive results.

Another issue raised by Mogale was the lack of opposition analysis. He said he had requested an analyst to help the technical team study opponents, including their formations, strengths and weaknesses, before matches.

However, Mogale claimed that Makhoba rejected the request, arguing that analysts were not necessary in Eswatini football. The coach also alleged that the general manager wanted the team to train twice in a day, which he believed affected the players' performances.

Makhoba has rejected Mogale's version of events and insisted that the coach was fired rather than resigning. He accused the former coach of creating problems within the team and claimed that he had disagreements with both players and members of the technical staff.

The general manager also suggested that the players were happy after Mogale's departure. He further questioned the coach's previous record, referring to his time at Mamelodi Sundowns and Kaizer Chiefs while criticising his suitability for the Highlanders job.

Makhoba admitted that appointing Mogale had been a mistake, saying the coach had failed to meet the club's expectations.

The public exchange has exposed serious tensions between the two men following their time together in Eswatini. While Mogale maintains that interference affected his work, Makhoba believes the club made the right decision to dismiss him.

Their contrasting accounts leave questions about what happened behind the scenes at Mbabane Highlanders, with both men standing by their respective positions.

Source: kick-off