Former AmaZulu mentor slams Usuthu coaching arrangements after Kaizer Chiefs legend Arthur Zwane's co-coach Vusumuzi Vilakazi's departure - 'It's absolutely nonsense'

Former Premier Soccer League coach Walter Rautmann has expressed his views on the joint-head coaching method after AmaZulu gave full authority to Arthur Zwane, while his previous co-coach Vusumuzi Vilakazi left the team.

The two up-and-coming football coaches were appointed as co-head coaches in October 2024, however, the KwaZulu-Natal club announced Vilakazi's exit on Tuesday, stating that he had personal matters to attend to.

Rautmann, who coached several South African teams, including Black Leopards and Mpumalanga Black Aces, has labelled co-coaching as 'nonsense', asserting that the two tacticians will inevitably undermine one another.

"That (AmaZulu) is my home, they call me the king of the Zulus because I saved them from relegation and took them to a cup final against Jomo Cosmos. That’s my team, my people," Rautmann told KickOff.com.

"But you can’t have co-coaches. It’s absolute nonsense. There must only be one man in charge. Because when something goes wrong, they will blame you, not the other coach. Don’t forget, the other coach can also work against you.

"I remember when I was at Black Leopards and we played Kaizer Chiefs at Ellis Park. We were bottom of the log, while they were top. I won’t mention names, but I had a co-coach. Do you know what happened? explained the 79-year-old ex-tactician.

"This co-coach had previously been at Chiefs. Before the game, one of my players came running and said, ‘Coach, your co-coach is on the phone with Kaizer Chiefs talking about your starting line-up!’. I then went up to the boss and told him, ‘You must fire him before the game’, and he did. We went on to beat Chiefs 3-0," he added.

"It’s like what was happening with (Manqoba) Mngqithi. How can he sit on the bench (and be a co-coach) when he can go and coach another team? As a coach, you must not only coach for the money. Be a proud coach. But this co-coaching thing is completely wrong. At Man United, Man City, and Liverpool, you don’t even know who the assistant coach is. You only know Pep (Guardiola), the guy at Man United (Ruben Amorim), and (Arne) Slot."

Several PSL teams have been implementing this arrangement since Mamelodi Sundowns initiated it in 2020 when Rhulani Mokwena and Manqoba Mngqithi were given control of the team following Pitso Mosimane's exit.

Orlando Pirates also adopted this approach with now Simba SC coach Fadlu Davids and current Bucs assistant coach Mandla Ncikazi. Additionally, Chippa United and Golden Arrows have also utilised the same style.

Zwane and Vilakazi found the team struggling to collect positive outcomes, hovering around the relegation zone in the league standings after a poor start to the season under Spanish tactician Pablo Franco Matin.

The duo guided the Durban-based team into the fifth position, having secured 26 points from 19 matches. They have thus far lost nine games, drawn two, and recorded eight wins.

Free agent Vilakazi will now be looking for new opportunities. Currently, there is no PSL team without a coach, however, the 42-year-old is unlikely to have difficulty finding a new home given his coaching skills.

AmaZulu, with Zwane as their sole head coach, are preparing for their forthcoming league match against struggling Cape Town City, which is led by former Chiefs coach Muhsin Ertugral.

The match is set for Sunday, March 2, at the King Zwelithini Stadium.