DE JONGH IS BACK!

MBABANE – The national team, Sihlangu will face its former employee in former Coach Pieter De Jongh when they play Somalia in the 2023 AFCON Qualifiers next month.

The Dutchman was shown the exit door in 2018 after two years in charge having been appointed in 2017. According to the ducorsports.com, the 51-year-old arrived in Somalia on Saturday to clinch the deal and start work. He replaces Moroccan coach Abdellatif Salef who was sacked in June last year.

appointment

After leaving Eswatini, De Jongh moved to Zimbabwe, where he led two clubs in Platinum and Highlanders with the recent appointment as Somalia senior national team coach. The Somalia Football Federation (SFF) did not give any details on De Jongh’s contract, but reports indicate that the coach has penned a one-year contract. Sihlangu and Somalia, who both have never reached the AFCON finals, have to start playing in the preliminary round of the qualifiers. There will be two-leg ties in March and the winners will join 42 other countries in a draw for the group stages. That draw will produce 12 groups with the winners and runners-up qualifying for the next tournament in Ivory Coast. Somalia return to the Cup of Nations after a 34-year absence and will face Eswatini, under the new coach. Sihlangu is still without a coach and it is expected that the Eswatini Football Association (EFA) will decide this week on the technical bench with coach Dominic Kunene and his men highly likely to be handed new contracts.

short-lived

De Jongh’s stay in the country was short-lived as he only got one positive result and that was when his team held Niger to a goalless draw in the first match of 2019 AFCON qualifiers back in June 2017 in his first game in charge. From there onwards, bad results followed as he never won or drew a match, with the final nail being crashing out of the COSAFA Cup without a draw or win. His side was also beaten 7-0 on aggregate by Zambia during the 2018 CHAN qualifiers. His first game in charge of Somalia will be during the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in March, where he will be hoping to seal a group stages slot for the ‘Ocean Stars’. De Jongh boasts of over nine years coaching experience in Africa. He has handled FC Cape Town in South Africa and Rwanda national team as technical director among others.

badges

He holds UEFA A, B and C coaching badges, a youth trainer coaching diploma and a FIFA technical director certificate all licensed by KNVD (Royal Dutch Football Association).

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