Kwanele Kopo discusses Morgan Mammila’s role at Chippa United

The Chilli Boys began the season with Mammila in charge for 13 games until he was replaced by Kopo and Thabo September.

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But Kopo says he’s more than happy to have the former Baroka FC chief executive officer sit on the bench with them.

''Coach Morgan was the coach of the team, he's been there for a while. He's also been with Swallows as a Technical Director, so in 2021 I had an offer to join Chippa when he was the head coach, he asked me to be his assistant coach,'' said Kopo.

Not only has Mammila been an administrator at Chippa and later head coach, but he also has a close relationship with chairman Siviwe Mpengesi.

Kopo believes having him around was a no-brainer.

''From that perspective we developed a relationship and going into a club where we are continuing on the squad that we had, and we felt with coach Thabo that we needed a person like him for a smooth transition of managing the players,'' added Kopo.

Although a surprise to many that this is Kopo’s first coaching job in the topflight despite his wealth of experience, he adds that it was crucial to have Mammila guide them through the Chippa landmines.

''It is the first coaching stint for both myself and Thabo September, so we also need to be cautious and not just go diving in a pool with excitement, you need someone that has got that experience of managing that environment,'' he concluded.

Mammila’s official title is that of technical director now, a position Kopo welcomed without hesitation when initially approached for the job.