Durban City’s Trophy Hero Faces CAF Bench Ban

Durban City chairman Farook Kadodia faces a difficult off-season decision following the club’s historic Nedbank Cup triumph regarding who will lead the team next season.

Caretaker coach Pitso Dladla, who guided the club to their Nedbank Cup victory over TS Galaxy last weekend, cannot serve as head coach on the bench when the club competes in the CAF Confederation Cup next season due to licensing regulations.

Dladla, who has had two spells in charge of City this season after the club parted ways with their previous coach, is widely regarded as the most successful coach in the club’s history, surpassing both Fadlu Davids and Eric Tinkler.

Davids and Tinkler both guided the club to cup finals — the Nedbank Cup in the 2017/18 season and the Carling Knockout Cup in the 2019/20 campaign — but fell short on both occasions.

Dladla, however, succeeded where they could not, leading the club to its first major trophy despite not yet holding the required CAF coaching qualifications.

Because Dladla does not possess a CAF A Licence — a requirement for head coaches in CAF competitions — he cannot officially sit on the bench as head coach during Confederation Cup matches.

In 2022, CAF introduced regulations stating that a head coach must hold either a CAF Pro Licence or at least a CAF A Licence. In addition, the assistant coach must possess a minimum CAF B Licence.

This means Dladla, who holds a CAF B Licence, could still be registered as an assistant coach and participate in official activities, including media engagements, but would not be permitted to occupy the bench as head coach unless he obtains the necessary qualifications.

Dladla has already expressed his desire to work towards obtaining a CAF A Licence in future after being asked whether he would like the role permanently.

The big question now is how the club plans to address the issue ahead of next season.

“We will negotiate all the challenges regarding the CAF qualifications. Whatever it is, we will deal with it, and we will find a way to handle it,” Kadodia replied to Sportswire during the club’s gala dinner at Southern Sun Elangeni & Maharani on Sunday.

The gala dinner, which celebrated the club’s Nedbank Cup triumph, was attended by club officials, including Kadodia, players, and members of the technical team.

Also present were the club’s sponsors, KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Sport, Arts and Culture, Mntomuhle Khawula, and KZN Premier Thami Ntuli.

The club will also have to address the issue of a home venue for their CAF matches, as Chatsworth Stadium does not meet CAF requirements for next season’s competition.

Unlike the coaching licence issue, however, this is considered a relatively minor challenge, with Moses Mabhida Stadium available as an alternative venue that fully complies with CAF standards.

Meanwhile, City are chasing a top-eight finish in the league and currently sit seventh on the table with 38 points from 28 matches.

With two fixtures remaining, they will face title-chasing Orlando Pirates at Orlando Amstel Arena on 16 May before concluding the season at home against AmaZulu FC on 23 May.

A draw from either of their remaining two matches should be enough to secure a top-eight finish.