AmaZulu FC have fired their Spaniard head coach Pablo Franco Martin and his assistant Aitor Van Den Brule. Martin joined Usuthu before the start of the 2023/24 season. This comes as the KwaZulu-Natal-based team lost the first three matches in the Betway Premier League.
CONTRACT TERMINATED
Martin was fired before he even could finish his three-year contract. The 44-year-old tactician came to the east coast side with an impressive coaching CV that included coaching teams like Simba SC in Tanzania, Qadsia SC in Kuwait, Getafe and Real Madrid in Spain in head coach and assistant coach roles. But he has been let go 15 months after being at the helm after under-achieving. AmaZulu finished in position 11 last season and did not make it in the top eight position. The team was once coached by former Bafana Bafana striker Benny MacCarthy, who saw the team to the CAF Champions League playoffs in the 2022 season.
TEAM HAS LOST FEW GAMES
Usuthu did not explain the reasons for axing Martin in their statement except for thanking him for his contribution to the team. "We would like to take this opportunity to express our gratitude to both Pablo Franco Martin and Aitor Van Den Brule for their contributions during the last 15 months at the helm of the team. Their dedication and hard work have not gone unnoticed and we appreciate all the effort they have put into their roles. We wish them the best in their future endeavours and extend our warmest regards as they move forward in their careers." After playing three matches in the current season, Usuthu lost all their matches. They are currently in position 15, which is a relegation play-off spot.
Martin replaced French-born coach Romain Folz, who was also fired before he could see out his contract. Folz, who is part of the Mamelodi Sundowns technical team, managed AmaZulu from 2022 until 2023. In April last year, before being fired, Folz was redeployed as technical director. Meanwhile, after axing McCarthy, Usuthu have been on the downward spiral, with the former Bafana striker joining Manchester United in England, where he is the strikers' coach.
