Ex Leruma United Coach Mpho “Zico” Maleka.
By: Refilwe Sebola
National First Division (NFD) side, Leruma United, has parted ways with their head coach, Mpho “Zico” Maleka.
This decision comes after the club opted to hire former Moroka Swallows coach, Musa Nyatama. Initially, it was thought that Nyatama would assist Maleka, who had been managing the team without an assistant. However, it soon became apparent that Nyatama, along with a goalkeeper trainer, was actually brought in to replace Maleka.
The decision surprised many soccer fans, including Maleka who voiced out his disappointment at the way the club handled the matter. “They called me into the office and informed me that Musa would be taking over as head coach, and they wanted him to work independently, just as I had been doing,” Maleka explained. “I was surprised to hear this because I had been requesting management to bring in additional coaches to strengthen the technical team. I was handling everything on my own—acting as head coach, assistant coach, goalkeeper coach, conditioning coach, and video analyst all at once. So when I saw Musa and goalkeeper coach Walter come in, I was actually happy not knowing they came to replace me”
Maleka joined Leruma United at the start of the NFD league season after leaving Premier Soccer League side Marumo Gallants. Since his arrival, Maleka has made significant progress with the rookie NFD club, building their character and identity in football despite facing challenging circumstances and limited resources, including rumors that the club was struggling to pay its players.
The club is currently on the bottom of the league table and has recently won 1-0 against Black Leopards and lost 2-0 against Hungry Lions under their new mentor Musa.