Ertugral: I Nearly Retired Three And Half Years Ago

Cape Town City’s new coach, Muhsin Ertugral, has admitted that a mental blockage among his players likely contributed to the departure of Eric Tinkler late last year.

City confirmed Tinkler’s departure at the end of last year and appointed Ertugral on the second day of 2025 until the end of the season.

Ertugral, who has been living in Cape Town for some time and has regularly attended City’s home matches, said he maintained contact with City chairman John Comitis, with whom he has a long-standing relationship dating back to their time together at Cape Town Spurs.

Ertugral made a strong start in his first game in charge, guiding City to a 1-0 victory over his former club, Kaizer Chiefs, at DHL Stadium on Sunday.  

“The situation was actually very good for us when you look at training session with the team of mental blockage whatever the reason was,” he said. 

“The mental blockage needed to be taken out. It cannot be pressing and you take it out, it can only happen through training sessions. 

“So, you could see very quickly in training sessions that they will get this confidence, the way we had to do a lot of hype in there. So, now you need to have concept in your tactical aspect. 

“Concept in different than tactical aspect. Tactically, we as coaches, always see that this is a chaotic game. We speak about systems and this system doesn’t exist in the game when the game is flowing and there is a chaotic situation. 

“The game, permanently, has players under pressure to take decision. We need to have very simple factors that they can hold on in certain aspect and obviously they need to bring the quality and that is what we did.  

“Holding them on like four plus three in the middle when we change from two to three, that gave us freedom when Kamohelo Mokotjo came on.”  

Ertugral, who has been working for FIFA as a member of the FIFA Technical Study Group and as a technical advisor for his native Turkey, returned to club football after a five-year absence. His last coaching role was with Maritzburg United in January 2019.

The Turkish-born coach, who has also managed Chiefs (twice) and Orlando Pirates, was asked about the appeal of coaching Cape Town City.

“The 2026 World Cup was approaching, and there was a new federation in Turkey. While I was not entirely out of the picture, I was at a point in my life where I preferred to be in Cape Town. I nearly retired three and a half years ago.

“The demands of the national team are immense, far exceeding the day-to-day responsibilities of club football. After the Euros, I was close to retirement, but I received offers, including some from South Africa.

“I had been in regular contact with John, and he suggested the possibility of me becoming the technical director. I found the project and the overall vision at the club very appealing.

“The role of technical director involves significant strategic thinking – in terms of technical development, player recruitment, and overall club philosophy. I can contribute through coaching sessions, organizational planning, and assisting the incoming head coach in quickly understanding the players. This was the initial plan.

“However, the opportunity to take over as head coach presented itself, and I accepted. I will then transition to the role of technical director at the end of the season. It is a very exciting project with John, and I am looking forward to it.”

In essence, Ertugral, who has coached in South Africa for 25 years, will assume the role of technical director for City at the end of the season.  

Ertugral’s second game in charge will be against Orlando Pirates at DHL Stadium on Wednesday.