Swazi Observer

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â€˜KOKIâ€™ ON THIN ICE

By Mphikeleli Msibi Sports Editor | 2018-12-07

SOCCER – MBABANE Swallows coach Thabo ‘Koki’ Vilakati appears to be living on borrowed time and reports suggest that he could be shown the exit door if things don't improve at the ‘Beautiful Birds’.

‘Koki’and his technical team is reportedly skating on thin ice as the club continues to struggle to win games consistently, having been already knocked out of the CAF Champions League.

‘Koki’s charges have picked up 20 points out of a possible 33 in their last 11 league matches, and they're placed fourth on the log.

Reports coming from the team suggest that even the team’s Chairman Princess Lungile is not entirely pleased with the team's performance.

The club's hierarchy is believed to be edgy and has demanded answers from ‘Koki’ as they intend to turn things around at the club.

A source close to the team has revealed that the stop-and-go performance of the team, aggravated by the exit in the CAF organised tournament, has also pushed fans into panic mode.

Inconsistent

“Things have not been the same in the team ever since the coach became the team’s manager, and if he fails to redeem himself, he could be on his way out. I can tell you now that he is living on borrowed time following inconsistent results.”

The source said it was true that the team would soon sack some of their coaches due to unworkable conditions within the coaching panel.

The current Swallows technical bench comprises of Kinnah Phiri (Consulant), Thabo ' Koki' Vilakati, Musa Manyatsi (Goalkeeper coach) and two physical trainers (Siyabonga Bhembe and Ettiene Masoye).

"Some of the coaches will soon be shown the exit door following concerns that it is no longer a workable situation.

“The changes might see some of the senior coaches being relieved of their duties. The final decision will be taken before the end of the week.

Wage

“The Management Committee has also cited a high wage bill within, hence the move to trim the technical bench," the source said.

The team’s Public Relations Officer Jackson Dlamini said he was yet to learn about the developments when contacted yesterday.

"I haven’t heard anything to that effect and, therefore, it would be folly to commit myself on this matter," he said.

The capital city giants recently suffered an early exit in the 2018 Total CAF Champions League after they were handed an 8-1 aggregate drubbing by Simbas FC from Tanzania.

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