Davids returns to bottom-of-the-log Maritzburg

Fadlu Davids, like the prodigal son, returned home earlier this week after years of abandoning the town of Pietermaritzburg in KwaZulu-Natal.

This occurred after he was named head coach of Maritzburg United. Davids fills the vacancy left by John Maduka, who was fired by Team of Choice’s management following a string of poor results in the DStv Premiership.

Maduka arrived in Maritzburg prior to the start of the current season after the contract of Ernst Middendorp, who struggled last season, was not renewed.

After his former colleague Middendorp left for Kaizer Chiefs, Davids took over as manager of Maritzburg United. Following this, Fadlu was signed by Orlando Pirates, where he worked with German Josef Zinnbauer.

Following Zinnbauer’s departure, Davids and Mandla Ncikazi were given the opportunity to jointly coach Pirates. Davids spent a brief time with Zinnbauer at Lokomotiv Moscow after his contract with the Pirates expired. He has returned to Maritzburg United, where he began coaching.

Farook Kadodia, the chairman of Maritzburg, welcomed him and described him as one of the smartest coaches in football.

“We are delighted to have Fadlu back on board. We learned a lot in a short period of time while working with him. He is one of the smartest coaches, and we hope to see the Maritzburg United football that we are familiar with,” said Kadodia.

Football fans are wondering, “What will Davids do this time?”

“It is great to be back in Maritzburg, where I began as a player before moving on to become an assistant and coach. Because I know how the Team of Choice operates, this will assist us in completing the task,” said Davids, who is in charge of getting Maritzburg off the bottom of the DStv Premiership log.

Maritzburg has only 11 points after 13 games. Above it is Sekhukhune, who fired Kaitano Tembo and replaced him with Brandon Truter.