Former Orlando Pirates assistant coach Fadlu Davids has opened up about what he’s up to and his future plans after leaving the Soweto giants upon the expiration of his contract at the end of June.
Davids spent most of last season as co-interim coach at Pirates, along with Mandla Ncikazi, following Josef Zinnbauer's departure at the start of the campaign.
There were suggestions the Buccaneers could follow Mamelodi Sundowns in appointing co-coaches on a permanent basis, but opted to dip into the foreign market again when they appointed Jose Riveiro as their new coach.
Ncikazi was given a new role as part of the coaching set-up, but Davids and the club parted ways.
What did Davids say?
“I’m on a kind of a forced sabbatical and you always reflect when you are in this situation. In hindsight, it’s probably the best situation I could have asked for because throughout my playing career and coaching career you always jump from one job to the next. This time to really reflect, take a zoom out and take a step back, refresh and reflect,” Davids told GOAL.
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backpagepix“Reflecting being the most important thing on my previous coaching projects I was involved in, what I did well and what I can improve on and what the modern trends are moving into.”
The former Maritzburg United attacking midfielder says the sabbatical has also helped him watch the beautiful game from a more in-depth and insightful angle.
'Sabbatical has helped me'
“For me, it’s great to watch football on a different level because in your tunnel, in your day-to-day work, you have your next match ahead of you and have to plan for upcoming fixtures after that," added Davids.
“Now I like to watch the games live at the stadium because you can see more tactical detail in relation to how the coach and the team, work.
Backpagepix“I’m more up to date now with what’s happening in the league. I’m focusing on all the teams; I’m focusing on the league. That has given me a lot of insight which I will be able to use once I step back in.”
Davids also shed light on some of his future plans as a coach and how he is always open to the possibilities and opportunities of learning more about the game.
“Soon I will be enrolling in the Uefa Pro course, that is the next step of my journey. Coach Pitso (Mosimane) has shown that the rest of Africa is in need of quality coaches," he continued.
"I would like the possibility of coaching in other countries; to experience that football is the same all over; it’s 11 against 11. Of course, it’s more than just the game. It’s about cultures; researching the culture of the country, the league, the players, and the type of coaches you are playing against as well as the dynamics of the league. That’s a very interesting prospect for me to be able to test myself in another country."
BackpagePix.Although nothing has been made official, the former Maritzburg United coach has been recently linked with a few local clubs.
“I will never discard the PSL. It’s a fantastic and such a unique league in terms of coaching diversity which you must be good in. There’s so much more the South African league has to offer. I’m open to the next project that comes be it locally or abroad," he concluded.
