'Firing Benni McCarthy Was Not A Mistake,' -Zungu

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JOHANNESBURG: After being sacked at Amazulu, McCarthy was appointed as a first-team coach at Manchester United.

AmaZulu president, Sandile Zungu has revealed that he does not regret letting go of Benni McCarthy, even though he has gone on to coach at Manchester United. McCarthy was head coach at AmaZulu FC, a Durban-based club between 2020 and 2022. He took the club to a second-place finish in the DStv Premiership, a record-high position for a side that had always fought for the top 8 finish.

As a result, AmaZulu qualified for the preliminary rounds of the CAF Champions League the following season. The team however struggled to live up to the highs of the previous campaign, which saw McCarthy and AmaZulu amicably part-ways in March 2022.

Three months later, McCarthy was appointed as a first-team coach at Manchester United, working under the new manager, Erik ten Hag. This appointment was viewed by many in the football fraternity as a loss to AmaZulu who could not be patient enough with their mentor.

However, Zungu has been in denial despite the glaring evidence that letting go of the most decorated player in South African football history was a fatal mistake. Speaking to the renowned broadcaster Robert Marawa on #MSW, Zungu said the “next few years will be the most important during his time at the club.”

“Getting rid of Benni wasn’t the worst decision we have made. The first season was great but the second was sub-optimal. I asked him if he can commit to getting us into the top 8 and he couldn’t give me that confidence,” he said.

“It was a brilliant intervention to bring in Brandon Truter, because we got to our first final in a long time. It doesn’t take anything from Benni and what he’s done for football in this country, but the results weren’t forthcoming in his second season and I had to make the hard decision but I have no regrets at all,” he added.