Former Orlando Pirates technical director and coach Augusto Palacios has backed Mandla Ncikazi to succeed Josef Zinnbauer at the Soweto giants.
Zinnbauer resigned as the Buccaneers' head coach on Monday after the team made a poor start to the 2021/22 season - losing 2-1 to their Soweto rivals Swallows FC on Saturday.
The defeat saw Pirates' hopes of successfully defending the MTN8 title end in the first round and it put Zinnbauer under pressure and he decided to quit ahead of the new PSL campaign which starts this weekend.
Palacios believes Ncikazi, who recently joined the Bucs technical team as Zinnbauer's second assistant, has what it takes to lead the Soweto giants.
“Ncikazi proved himself at Golden Arrows last season,’’ Palacios told Sowetan.
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"He’s worked with top coaches as an assistant at Maritzburg and Arrows… he was with Steve Komphela [as his deputy at both clubs].
"He also worked with Clinton Larsen. The football he played at Arrows last season showed he must be given an opportunity at big clubs like Pirates."
Ncikazi joined the Buccaneers in June this year after guiding Arrows to their highest ever finish in the PSL with the team finishing fourth behind Pirates, AmaZulu FC, and Mamelodi Sundowns.
Fadlu Davids has been part of the Pirates technical team as an assistant since January 2019, but Palacios has tipped Ncikazi for the hot seat.
“He started the pre-season with Pirates…now he knows everyone there, so it won’t be a matter of bringing in someone new," the Peru-born mentor added.
"If Pirates gave a young coach like Rhulani Mokwena a chance, why not Ncikazi? The faith in local coaches must continue…I believe the chairman [Irvin Khoza] will take the right decision.’’
Ncikazi's arrival at Pirates added fuel to speculation that the club is considering replacing Zinnbauer with Komphela, who is currently serving as a senior coach at Mamelodi Sundowns.
However, the rumours cooled off and Zinnbauer was on the bench as Bucs succumbed to a defeat to their arch-rivals Kaizer Chiefs in the 2021 Carling Black Label Cup match earlier this month.
It remains to be seen whether Pirates will make a move for Komphela, who is working under co-head coaches Manqoba Mngqthi and Mokwena at Sundowns.
