Chippa United's Sinethemba Badela faces uncertain future ahead of TS Galaxy clash

Will Sinethemba Badela be in the dugout?

That’s the question on everybody's lips ahead of Chippa United's clash with TS Galaxy on Tuesday. Chippa will host Galaxy at Buffalo City Municipality Stadium in Mdantsane, amid uncertainty surrounding the future of Badela.

The 35-year-old coach is said to have fallen out of favour with Chippa’s sporting director, Sinesipho Mali, after they failed to see eye to eye on certain issues. The conflicts reportedly include the vision and direction of the club in the near and long-term future, as mandated by chairman Siviwe Mpengesi.

According to reports, the drift between Badela and Mali began during pre-season, with Badela even lucky to start the campaign with the Gqeberha-based side.

Badela’s team began the season on a decent note, holding champions Mamelodi Sundowns to a 1-1 draw before losing 1-0 to Durban City. The loss to City may have intensified the pressure, as expectations are high for Badela to ensure that the team finishes in the Top 8 this season.

Mpengesi’s reputation for being trigger-happy may not help Badela’s cause either, which is why his situation will be monitored closely on Tuesday night.

The turmoil within the Chippa camp might offer Galaxy a chance to redeem themselves, having lost all three matches since the start of the season. Coach Adnan Beganovic has struggled to get results due to the departure of key players and an inability to strengthen the squad because of a Fifa ban.

As a result, Galaxy have embarrassingly had only five substitutes on the bench in all three matches, giving Beganovic limited options to bring on impact players.

Meanwhile, Siwelele face Polokwane City at Dr Petrus Molemela Stadium in a simultaneous kick-off, eager for a change of fortunes.

Siwelele had a bright start to the league, beating Golden Arrows 3-1 at home, but they were brought back down to earth by new boys Orbit College last week. With the clash against Rise and Shine set at their home ground in Mangaung, they’ll bank on their fans to fill the stadium as they did against Arrows earlier this month.

The people of Mangaung welcomed their new club in style, filling the stadium to capacity and chanting songs that revived the spirit of the defunct Bloemfontein Celtic.

City will either survive the hostility to bag their first points of the season or continue being winless and pointless. Coach Phuti Mohafe has conceded that the departure of attacker Oswin Appollis has dismantled the team in the final third, as they have yet to score this season.

But Mohafe, who has grown in leaps and bounds over the years, says it’s just a matter of time before they turn the tide.

Sekhukhune United, meanwhile, cannot afford a poor run of form, having lost to Stellenbosch in the MTN8 semi-final first leg on Saturday night. Coach Eric Tinkler stressed that his troops did not follow his instructions on the day, which led to mistakes at the back and their punishment.

With the tie not over, Tinkler will be expecting an improved performance when they host Stellenbosch at New Peter Mokaba Stadium on Saturday night. But first, they must get past Orbit, who host them at Dobsonville Stadium on Tuesday.

Orbit bagged their first points of the season against Siwelele and will be eager to prove they are not just in the league to add up numbers, hoping to secure another victory against Babina Noko.