The former TS Galaxy head coach has had four previous spells with the Eastern Cape club, during which time he was in charge of 61 matches
Chippa United coach Dan Malesela says the decision to rejoin the Chilli Boys was not taken lightly.
Malesela, who was sacked by Premier Soccer League (PSL) newcomers TS Galaxy two months ago, was confirmed as the new Chippa United coach two days after Christmas, replacing the outgoing Lehlohonolo Seema.
Chippa had initially tried to appoint controversial Belgian coach Luc Eymael, only to backtrack on that decision after pressure from the South African Football Association (Safa) and the public.
Instead they turned to the 55-year-old Malesela, who had already been in charge of the Eastern Cape side on four previous occasions, including as caretaker coach.
His last two stints lasted for just three and six matches respectively.
Malesela’s contract is until the end of the current campaign with the option of another season.
The coach, speaking to the media for the first time since his appointment, admitted it was not an easy decision.
“It took me about four to five days (to decide), I just don’t remember, but it took me some time,” he said.
“Obviously I had to consult, I had to speak with my manager and I also had to speak to my wife and family to say, ‘Is it okay to take the job?’” elaborated Malesela.
“The fact that the club keeps calling me, says that they have seen something in me that is different from other people,” he added.
Chippa have not won in five games and are third from bottom on the league table, level on points with the two sides below them.
They kick off 2021 away at SuperSport United on Wednesday before taking on Golden Arrows in Durban on the weekend.
Malesela knows all to well that he’s in the results business and will be hoping to get a good start in order to settle in and restore confidence to the team.
“Fact is that you have to have results, you cannot sit at the club and say the club likes me and I like the club, and there are no results,” he said.
“But to fix a lot of things in terms of what is happening now is that we need to get results, we need to have a team that can get results. Playing good football, yes, but also getting good results.”
