Leemisa Thuseho

THOMAS Tshabalala, the Lifofane coach has made another dramatic exit from the club days after smoking the peace pipe with his employers.

This time, Tshabalala is blasting the team for giving a contract that is only fit for a player.

Tshabalala dumped the team a fortnight ago lamenting that the management was ignoring his advice in signing and releasing players.

The two parties however, resolved their differences this week and Tshabalala was expected to sign a new contract.

But the coach turned down the contract citing that it was not fit for a premier league coach.

“The contract was no up to standard for a premier league coach… it was probably good enough for a player,” Tshabalala told the Sunday Express on Friday.

Tshabalala never signed a contract since joining the team in mid-February this year and was working on the basis of a verbal agreement.

One of the major sticking issues in the contract was that the club did not provide him with accommodation and transport.

“The contract was silent about my accommodation and that is one of the issues that we discussed and agreed that it should be clearly stated in the contract. They also wanted me to use my own funds to travel for away games.”

The team had offered him a three-year contract and had also agreed to increase his salary. He however said the increment would turn to nothing if he was to pay for his own transport and accommodation.

“If I had to pay for my own accommodation and transport, then I would be practically taking a pay cut.”

Going forward, the South African said he is not yet sure about his next destination but expressed his desire to continue coaching in the Econet Premier League.

“There are teams in Lesotho and South Africa that have shown interest in me but my preference was Lifofane. I loved the team and I would like to apologise to the team management and the supporters… I could have even coached the team for free but due to family matters and responsibilities, I need a reasonable contract,” he added.

Lifofane confirmed on its Facebook page that the club was forced to let Tshabalala go again after he turned down its offer.

“We received an apology from the coach which the management accepted. There were fruitful discussions on the way forward and all parties had verbal agreements.

“Today (on Thursday) the coach was supposed to sign a contract and he could not sign citing personal problems that he wants to deal with, so he will not be part of the team and we are closing his chapter.

“We wish him good luck in his future endeavors,” Lifofane said.