Football Coach Thabo Senong Stranded in Tanzania After Singida Fountain Gate FC Terminates His Contract
Thabo Senong, former Orlando Pirates development and Lesotho national team coach, finds himself stranded in Zanzibar, Tanzania.
This comes after his Premier League side, Singida Fountain Gate FC, abruptly terminated his contract last week.
Recruitment and Turbulence: Senong’s Journey to Singida Fountain Gate FC
According to Zimoja, Senong, along with his fellow South Africans, goalkeeper coach Thembalethu Moses and biokinetics specialist Kelvin Ndlomo, were recruited to the East African team by former Kaizer Chiefs coach Ernst Middendorp.
The trio joined the team in September 2023, but Middendorp departed just a month later, citing management interference in team selection. Brazilian coach Ricardo Ferreira took over as head coach, with Senong serving as his assistant.
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Sudden Dismissal: The Shocking Turn of Events
However, Senong’s tenure with the club was short-lived, as he was dismissed without warning or explanation.
In a statement, Senong expressed his disappointment with the handling of his termination, stating that the team called an urgent meeting without specifying its purpose. Instead of praise, Senong and his coaching staff faced dissatisfaction and were promptly relieved of their duties. The club, in its statement, announced a mutual agreement to part ways with Senong and his team, citing a “thorough evaluation and consultation” for the decision.
Despite the termination, the club has not arranged for the return of Senong and his staff to South Africa, leaving them stranded in a Tanzanian hotel without salaries or communication. A source close to the situation revealed that the team is ignoring Senong’s calls and neglecting their responsibilities towards the dismissed technical team.
The team did not book his flight ticket to come home and now he is stuck in a hotel without money. This is heartbreaking because they are also not communicating with him,” the source said.
Senong, who has previously coached the South African Under-20 teams and served as Sekhukhune United’s assistant coach, faces uncertainty as he awaits resolution to his predicament. Concerns over unpaid salaries and lack of communication have prompted speculation about potential FIFA intervention to ensure the rights of the stranded coaches are upheld.