OFFICIAL: Mandla Ncikazi lands new PSL club after Pirates exit

Ncikazi takes over at new PSL team

Africa Today at 11:29

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OFFICIAL: Mandla Ncikazi lands new PSL club after Pirates exit

Photo: BackPagePix

Betway Premiership outfit Golden Arrows have announced the appointment of Mandla Ncikazi as the club's new head coach after parting ways with defending champions Orlando Pirates.

The 57-year-old mentor ended a five-year trophy-laden spell with the Buccaneers, having joined the club in June 2021 following his departure from Abafana Bes'thende.

He predominantly served as an assistant coach to then-head coach Jose Riveiro and current boss Abdeslam Ouaddou, and had a co-coaching stint with Fadlu Davids between August 2021 to June 2022.

His exit at Pirates was marred with controversy amid swirling reports that he had an internal rift with Ouaddou, who allegedly threatened to quit if the KwaZulu-Natal tactician continues as part of his technical team.

Ncikazi now returns to familiar surroundings at Arrows, where he previously enjoyed success with an impressive fourth place finish in the league during the 2020/21 campaign.

This comes after Arrows severed ties with Pitso Dladla, who oversaw 11 matches in charge, winning three and losing as many games, while drawing the other five encounters.

Abafana Bes'thende are currently in eighth place on the Betway Premiership table with eight points accumulated from their opening eight fixtures of the 2026/27 season.

With the team set to host Chippa United in the Carling Knockout Cup round of 16 at King Zwelithini Stadium on Saturday, before a KZN derby with AmaZulu FC, Ncikazi will be looking to get off to a winning start.

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Hlayisani Magoro

Editorfr, en

Football journalist from South Africa covering African football news, exclusive stories and key events while sharing insights with passionate fans of the game.