IN A dramatic shake-up, Cape Town City interim head coach Muhsin Ertugral was given the boot yesterday and his assistant Diogo Peral will lead the span until the end of the season.
Peral, a Uefa A qualified coach, will be assisted by Lebogang Manyama and Roger De Sa, the former Ajax Cape Town mentor, as City takes bold measures to recover from a challenging season.
The interim technical staff will deal with the pressing challenge to regain their winning spirit, amid a season fraught with difficulties.
Yesterday, City issued a statement, which read: “After technical discussions, the club and Muhsin Ertugral have agreed mutually to part ways.
“The decision comes as a collective in the best interest of the club, as we look to end the 2024-25 season as strong as possible.
“We thank Muhsin for his professional and earnest contribution.”
This announcement follows a swak run of results in the Premiership that saw the team suffer eight defeats in 14 matches. The highly experienced Ertugral dealt with tough times as he steered the club through a challenging campaign.
A few months ago, Ertugral’s tenure started lekker, after he was promoted from technical director to interim head coach after Eric Tinkler was shown the door.
However, fortunes soured as the club’s staggering downward spiral gained momentum, which resulted in a 1-0 loss to relegation candidates Marumo Gallants at Athlone Stadium last Saturday.
Yesterday, City issued a second statement, which read: “First team coach Diogo Peral will lead the team until the end of the season, assisted by Lebogang Manyama and Roger De Sa.”
City are in 13th place on the league standings, having picked up just 23 points from their 23 games. Their next assignment in on 30 March against fellow relegation candidates SuperSport United.