Reasons for Gallants coach's exit explained

Marumo Gallants coach Roman Folz will vacate his post at the DStv Premiership club following allegations of interference, maladministration and a complete breach of contract by management.

The lid on the drama behind the scenes was lifted on Sunday afternoon prior to Gallants facing Swallows FC in a league match at the Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane, with the team sheet showing Folz as œassistant rather than head coach.

When asked after the game - first on television and later by journalists - about the Frenchman™s whereabouts, chairman Abram Sello claimed he was only informed of the coach™s decision to pull a no-show minutes before kick-off.

œI was told he is not here due to unforeseen personal reasons, Sello said in part, while also insisting that he did not get involved in technical matters.

According to SABC Sport sources, Folz has been juggling meddling from his bosses as well as mismanagement following his arrival at the Limpopo-based outfit in June.

In an interview the 32-year-old mentor gave to Soccer Laduma before he was allegedly issued a gag order, he told the publication his absence from the bench was due to instructions by his employers to change his line-up the night before the Swallows game, which ended 1-1 on Sunday afternoon.

œWhat happened is that last night the management of the club tried to force me to change my line-up to have multiple changes on everything. So, basically, they tried to change the line-up and I was told there would be consequences if I didn™t want that to happen," Folz was quoted by the publication.

"I was told that the assistant coach [Raymond Mdaka] would be in charge if I didn™t want to comply and I said okay because that is not what my contract says."

SABC Sport sources indicate that this was simply the tip of the iceberg in the uphill battle the coach has had to fight behind the scenes, with Sello himself having told the players about his decision to strip Folz of his duties.

The chairman, however, denied this.

Folz had signed a two-year contract upon his arrival and, according to information gathered by the public broadcaster™s sports desk, has terminated the deal because it has clearly been breached.

Furthermore, it is believed he opted against sitting on the bench as an œassistant when he had in fact been appointed the head coach, in order to spare himself from absolute humiliation as well as being stripped of his dignity in what would clearly be his final hours at the club.

Gallants also fired coach Sebastien Migne in October last year for œdirecting abusive language towards Harris Choeu, the club™s technical director.

By Mazola Molefe