Chippa United said whilst they had no concrete details at the time of appointment, they are aware of the media reports regarding an alleged racist incident in Tanzania, and Luc Eymael’s reported responses denying the accusations.
Chippa United have withdrawn the appointment of Luc Eymael.
The controversial coach was announced as the Chilli Boy’s technical adviser after the team announced they had parted way with coach Dan Malesela after a 5-1 league loss to Maritzburg United on Saturday.
Eymael’s return to country has not sat well with most. There are allegations of racism involving the former Free State Stars coach while coaching in Tanzania last year. Safa issued a statement with an intent to ban him for the alleged comments.
The Gqeberha side released a statement which said the decision to withdraw the appointment of Eymael, was not based on any concrete evidence or legal position regarding the claims against him, but was rather informed by the club’s sensitivity to the gravity of the accusations against Eymael, the public outcry and to also allow the matter to be fully investigated.
The club then pointed a finger at veteran broadcaster Robert Marawa for causing ‘reputational and financial damage against the club caused by broadcasts, largely on the Robert Marawa World Wide sports shows on Metro FM and Radio 2000 on the South African Broadcasting Corporation and statements from political organisations and stakeholders condemning Eymael’s appointment.’
Chippa United approached the Ethics Committee of FIFA in January 2021 to seek clarity on whether there was any ban issued against the appointment of Eymael, or any matters pending before it. FIFA responded on 13 January of 2021 in summary that it would look into the matter and would take action if required and / or refer it to the jurisdiction of the local football association to deal with. Nothing further followed from FIFA confirming any ban and/or pending proceedings against Eymael.
The statement went on to say that following the departure of coach Dan Malesela after a string of extremely poor results, Eymael contacted the Chairman of Chippa to confirm that he had independently sought to clear his name, including addressing Safa, who on his version confirmed to him that there were no proceedings against him. Eymael furthermore confirmed that there were no proceedings from
On Tuesday the EFF Eastern Cape sent out a statement and were clear on their stance over the Belgian saying they would “ensure that he won’t work in our Province” and called on the club’s owner Chippa Mpengesi to withdraw the appointment of what they call an “unrepentant racist from Belgium, a country of King Leopold who killed black people in Africa”.
