11th January 2023
Mammila, who took over from Daine Klate in September, has in the past come under scrutiny for only holding an entry-level SAFA D License certificate to coach.
With concerns now that chairman Siviwe ‘Chippa’ Mpengesi may want to fire him, Mammila is defiant and insists that his record so far should buy him time.
"I'm not concerned. You guys [media] must do the stats. There are guys with pro licenses here, they've been here for how many months? Go and check their wins, they are not even close to me," claimed the outspoken coach.
"Go and check, all pro license guys are behind me. So, be honest to yourself, not to me. The stats must not lie. I think, is there any pro license [holders] from number one to number nine? I don't think there are any. Go and check."
Following the defeat to Mamelodi Sundowns on Tuesday night, Chippa slipped to ninth place on the DStv Premiership table.
Mammila, who doubles up as senior management at the club, says he knows the criteria for sacking a coach.
"In football, this is a business, my friend. If results are not coming, remember you're talking to management, I know this thing [sic], I've fired coaches when results were not coming [before]," he defended.
"I know that game, I know this game. I know the worth of the status, and remember Chippa is worth more than other statuses because [of] where Chippa is and the sponsors they've got.
"But football does not lie. The stats must not lie. Can you fire a coach who plays like this? Will you get a better person [for the job] who can play like this? Will you get a coach who can win four games in a row, taking the team from number 16 to number six?"
He further accused the media of questioning if he will survive the chop under the volatile Mpengesi only because he is a “rural boy”, while he alleges Orlando Pirates’ Spanish coach Jose Riveiro has been shielded despite losing his last three league matches.
"I don't need to be a white person to be where I am. Don't look for colours guys, look at my stats. I've won four, I've drawn two, I've lost three. How many coaches of other teams - the white guy, how many times did he lose? Three games in a row," Mammila aed.
"Did you ask him this question? The answer is no. Because why? Morgan is a rural boy. No, be honest my friend. Leave the history of the club man."