Hunt Opens Up: Wits Sale And Divorce “Killed” My Emotions
Durban City coach Gavin Hunt has admitted that he has lost all emotional connection with football, revealing that the controversial sale of Bidvest Wits and his divorce left him broken both professionally and personally.
Hunt has consistently maintained that had Wits remained a club, they would have won the league again, preventing Mamelodi Sundowns from dominating the Betway Premiership for the last eight seasons. Hunt remains the last coach to win the league outside of Sundowns, achieving the feat with Wits in the 2016/17 season.
The Sturrock Park club was sold ahead of the 2020/21 season and rebranded as Tshakuma Tsha Madzivhandila (TTM), which did not retain Hunt’s services.
“Wits killed me,” said Hunt, who won three trophies with the club, including the MTN8 against Sundowns and the league title in the 2016/17 season. The other trophy was the Telkom Knockout.
Hunt reflected on his long-term commitments: “I was at SuperSport United for six years, I was at Moroka Swallows for six years, I was at Wits for seven years and I would still been at Wits. That killed everyone and now we are jumping in. I don’t want to move and that is why I got divorced.”
Following the Wits sale, Hunt took on the high-profile job of coaching Kaizer Chiefs in 2020 but lasted less than a year, despite guiding them to the CAF Champions League semi-final. He then saw his former club, SuperSport United, being sold during the off-season.
Hunt had rejoined SuperSport at the start of the 2022/23 season but was fired in March last season while the club was struggling at the bottom, despite having won the league three times in his previous stint there.
The legendary coach still appears to be hurt by the recent sacking at the now-defunct club, with his response showing his trademark lack of a filter.
“I’m still very upset and hurt what happened to me, because I certainly felt we were going to come in the top eight,” said Hunt. “They got what they wanted.”
The newly rebranded club, Siwelele, are currently at the bottom of the table with four points after eight matches, having won only once, lost six, and drawn one game.
