Four Distinct Coaching Achievements of Igesund Across Various Teams
In the cut-throat world of South African football, there are a handful of coaches who are considered legends – individuals who've won titles, turned around struggling teams, and have been heavily courted by top clubs. Pitso Mosimane, Gavin Hunt, and Gordon Igesund are often talked about in the same breath, with these three winning a combined nine PSL league titles. Yet, it's the enigmatic Igesund, with four league wins under his belt, who often gets overlooked.
POSTING UP ON THE PITCH
Igesund's coaching journey began in 1972 when he was just 16. The man dubbed "Banker" played for numerous clubs in South Africa, including Durban City, Durban United, Durban Bush Bucks, AmaZulu, and African Wanderers, among others. He even had stints in Austria thanks to the guidance of Walter Rautman, who had previously coached AmaZulu and helped Igesund secure a move to Athletik-Sport Klub. Igesund also played for Simmering FC and FC Admira Wacker Mödling, featuring in the UEFA Cup and earning a spot on the All Stars team, which faced off against Austria's national team (comprised of foreigners).
RANGER-INGS
As the story goes, Igesund led Manning Rangers to the league title in the inaugural 2006/07 PSL season, but what's lesser known is that he'd already claimed championships with D'Alberton Callies in 1992 and African Wanderers in 1994.
Igesund spent four seasons with The Mighty Maulers, missing out on the title in his first season but finishing in the top five every year. His side was prolific in scoring but had only the fifth-best defensive record as champions. The trend continued the following year, with Rangers dominating the league in terms of goals scored, but conceding the most goals of any team in the top half of the log.
In Igesund's third year with Rangers, the team missed out on a title challenge due to a horrendous defensive record, conceding 49 goals. Despite the limited resources at the club, Igesund had done an incredible job, turning a mediocre side into title contenders. A swath of unknowns, such as Keryn Jordan, Grant Johnson, Clinton Larsen, George Koumantarakis, and Innocent Chikoya, flourished under Igesund's tutelage.
BUCS GONE BANKRUPT
Having won the CAF Champions League in 1995, Pirates were desperate to end their drought of titleless seasons and trophy-less campaigns. So, they brought in Igesund to deliver the goods. The coach only stayed for one season but duly delivered the league title, finishing one point ahead of Kaizer Chiefs. Bucs led the league in terms of goals scored that season, won the BP Top 8 Cup too, and lost in the Rothmans Cup final.
Initially, Pirates' faithful couldn't get enough of Igesund's direct, effective football. However, they soon turned against him as his style wore thin. There were even rumors of supporters disrupting training and assaulting the coach after a 1-0 defeat to Bush Bucks, leading to Igesund's departure after just one season. Despite the off-field problems, Igesund won the PSL Coach of the Season award.
THE PEOPLE'S TEAM
Next up for Igesund was "The People's Team," Santos, for the 2001/02 season. He was reunited with Afzal Khan, who had been Manning Rangers CEO during their title-winning run. Under Igesund's guidance, Santos claimed a third league title for the coach, this time with a focus on a rock-solid defense. The team featured the likes of André Arendse in goal, Musa Otieno and Edries Burton in the backline, and powerful Jean-Marc Ithier up front.
AJAX CAPE TOWN
Igesund's next stop was at rivals, Ajax Cape Town, after a single season at Santos. Santos took the matter to court and sued Igesund for breach of contract. Despite the legal drama, Ajax won the case, and Igesund joined the Urban Warriors.
His first campaign at Ajax wasn't great as the side fought relegation and picked up just 33 points. He did take the team to the ABSA Cup final, though. Once the squad had become accustomed to his methods, Igesund finished second, six points behind Kaizer Chiefs, in the following season. This impressive campaign earned him the Manager of the Decade award handed out by Kickoff Magazine.
Igesund's final two seasons with Ajax Cape Town were less successful, with sixth and tenth-place finishes, and an inexperienced squad and minimal transfer funds at his disposal.
MASANDAWANA'S MIRACLE MAN
Having gone five seasons without a league title, Sundowns lifted the 2005/06 crown under the combined stewardship of Neil Tovey and Miguel Gamondi. However, Igesund was brought in at the end of the season and wasted little time in delivering the 2006/07 league title, just as he had done in his first seasons at Manning Rangers, Orlando Pirates, and Santos.
Sundowns won the league by ten points over Silver Stars, scoring the most goals and conceding the fewest in the league. Both the PSL Player of the Season and Players' Player of the Season awards went to Downs' Godfrey Sapula.
Igesund stayed on for a second season at Sundowns, taking the side to a cup win in the SAA Super 8 trophy, but he couldn't secure a double after a loss on penalties in the Telkom Knockout final to an Itumeleng Khune-inspired Kaizer Chiefs.
After two seasons, the coach departed to once again partner with Afzal Khan, this time at Maritzburg United.
FROM CHAMPION TO FIREFIGHTER
After four league titles as a coach, Igesund went from being the go-to man to make history at clubs like Manning Rangers and Santos or restore glory at top clubs like Pirates and Sundowns to a relegation firefighter.
At Maritzburg United, he took over right before the season started, and the club had not made significant signings or had a cohesive preseason. He managed to keep the side in the PSL, an impressive achievement, but the following season, after just three wins in the first 15 games, he resigned from the job.
He then took the helm at Free State Stars and kept them in the league too, before undertaking one of his most impressive jobs.
DON'T FOLLOW ME, FOLLOW THE BIRDS
In November 2010, with Moroka Swallows sitting on two points after nine PSL matches, they fired Rainer Zobel and appointed Igesund to try and save the club. The coach had no time for pretty football and immediately brought in a direct style, with the team focusing on creating opportunities for veteran frontman, Siyabonga Nomvethe.
By the end of that season, Swallows had finished in 13th position, taking 30 points from 21 games under Igesund's leadership. It was a very impressive turnaround from a club that looked dead and buried. What followed in his second season was remarkable. Swallows were not only nowhere in the relegation zone but entering the final match, they were in the title race as they sat two points off Pirates. Bucs pipped them to the crown in dramatic fashion after a brace by Benni McCarthy in the final 30 minutes.
Nomvethe won the player of the season that campaign, while Lerato Chabangu was incredible in midfield. The coach admitted years later that the playmaker, nicknamed "All You Need Is Love", often played games drunk yet was able to produce incredible passes and freekicks. Igesund won the PSL Coach of the Season award for the 2011/12 season.
BAFANA - LONG TIME COMING
After a very long wait, Igesund was finally given the Bafana Bafana job on a two-year contract with the mandate to make it to the semi-finals of the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations.
When the tournament arrived, the side played some reasonably good football and got to the quarter-finals, missing out on the mandate set out after a defeat on penalties to Mali. Bafana had progressed from their group after a 0-0 draw with Cape Verde, a 2-0 win against Angola, and a 2-2 draw with Morocco.
The coach kept his job, but he was expected to qualify for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Igesund oversaw a good start in qualifying as Bafana beat Central African Republic 2-0 at home and then beat the same opponents 3-0 away. However, a 2-1 loss away to Ethiopia proved costly, and even a 4-1 home win against Botswana in the final game was not enough.
Igesund's contract was not renewed after two years, with Shakes Mashaba taking over as coach.
SUPERSPORT UNITED
Next up for the coach was to take over at Matsatsantsa. The club had sacked Cavin Johnson after a poor start to the season (four losses in five games), and Igesund came in, making a big initial impact. After just 10 matches in charge, SuperSport had lifted the Telkom Knockout and won four of the six league matches he'd overseen.
However, with just seven wins in the final 19 league matches, things started to go downhill somewhat. That trend continued at the start of his second season as the side lost four of the first seven league matches and sat in 17th position.
By January, things had not turned around, and Igesund was sacked after 15 games with his side having won four matches and sitting in 10th place. Stuart Baxter replaced the four-time league winner at SuperSport United.
HIGHLANDS HOMECOMING
Gordon Igesund's most recent job was during the 2016-17 season as he returned to the newly promoted Highlands Park, some 47 years after playing for the club. That was before they became defunct after being sold to Jomo Sono, who subsequently formed Jomo Cosmos. The coach was overjoyed about coaching Highlands Park, saying, "I'm very excited about coaching Highlands Park because of the affinity I have with the name Highlands Park. When I think of Highlands, I think of players like Martin Cohen, Julie Kaplan, Des Backos, Eugene Kleynhans, Jerry Sadike – the first black player to play for a white team in 1979. Highlands Park are an institution. And to be part of that and try and get Highlands back to where they were in those days would be a fantastic achievement for everybody, and a fantastic thing for football in South Africa."
His mission was simple – keep the team in the PSL. He even hoped to finish in the top eight as an added bonus. However, the coaching change did not help matters, and Highlands Park finished bottom and were relegated.
"It was unexpected. We had 22 points and were on track for our next four games. Three of them are against the sides we are battling – Baroka, Platinum Stars, and Chippa United. I believed we would escape relegation despite the fact that we are at the bottom," said the coach.
WHY ISN'T HE WORKING IN THE PSL?
Since those two rough spells at SuperSport United (albeit winning a trophy early on) and his inability to influence things at Highlands Park, Igesund has not worked in the PSL. Perhaps the latter spell damaged his recent reputation for being a reliable relegation firefighter. It's unclear why no one has offered the coach a new job or been linked to open positions in the league. Is the 67-year-old coach now past his prime, or has he simply been left behind as football evolves into an era of pressing, build-up play, and video analysis? Either way, it's intriguing that a four-time league winner is not receiving regular offers or links to vacant jobs.
In the midst of illustrious coaches in South African football, Gordon Igesund, with four league titles under his belt, remains an enigmatic figure often overlooked. Despite a coaching journey that commenced in 1972, Igesund's career has seen significant transitions - from player to coach, and from winning championships with Manning Rangers, D'Alberton Callies, African Wanderers, Orlando Pirates, and Mamelodi Sundowns to facing relegation challenges at Maritzburg United and Highlands Park. The question persists: Why isn't he working in the PSL?
