After parting ways with the club towards the end of last month, the former head coach of Venda Football Club (VFC), Mr Vladislav Heric, has opened up about his dismissal.
Heric said his dismissal was neither personal nor professional. He received a WhatsApp message from the chairman of the club, Mr Itani Munzhelele, a day after Christmas. According to Heric, the message was brief and to the point, informing him that his employment contract with the club had been terminated with immediate effect.
The former Black Leopards head coach said that in the same message, Munzhelele claimed to have tried to call him on Christmas Day without success as his phone was switched off all day.
Heric confirmed that his phone was switched off on Christmas Day to avoid disturbances while he was resting with his family in Cape Town. He blamed Mr Munzhelele for trying to call him on Christmas Day and suspected that the chairman's intention had been to spoil his holiday.
When asked whether he intended to challenge his dismissal, the Serbian coach said he was still awaiting a legal opinion from his attorney, who was on festive holiday. However, the 58-year-old coach believed that VFC had done him a favour by firing him. He went on to reveal that there were simply too many problems at VFC.
According to him, the problems at VFC did not stem from the players. He stated that the management was to blame for the team's poor performance. He revealed that he had tried on numerous occasions to discuss the issues with management, but his advice was not taken seriously. He wished the team well in their remaining league fixtures.
When confirming Mr Heric's dismissal, the chairman of the club, Mr Itani Munzhelele, denied that there were problems within the club. VFC is currently fighting for survival at the bottom of the Motsepe Foundation Championship League log, with nine points from 14 outings. Their next league fixture is against Black Leopards at Thohoyandou Stadium on Saturday afternoon.