Chippa United have made a U-turn on their decision to appoint controversial Belgian coach Luc Eymael as the club’s technical advisor.

The Chilli Boys recently appointed the Belgian coach following the sacking of Dan Malesela as head coach.

Chippa have received backlash from the general public and the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) in the Eastern Cape following Eymael’s racist comments in Tanzania.

The 61-year-old coach was fired as the head coach of Tanzanian giants Young Africans with immediate effect for calling the club’s supports ‘illiterate monkeys and dogs who just bark’ back in July 2020.

Chippa have now released the following statement:

‘Chippa have decided not to continue with Eymael’s appointment, who will proceed to return to Belgium. It is clear that Eymael himself requires further time to clear his name.

‘He has reassured the club that he will, in his own capacity, take legal action concerning his rights, including the dissemination of the offending media clip through his own lawyers.

‘We as a club maintain our stance against racism of any form and wish to make it clear that our intended appointment of Eymael would not have happened were the allegations against him have been validated in any form.

‘We are naturally sensitive to the views of our fans, sponsors, the general public and South Africa as a whole and hence the decision.

‘However, we do regret and condemn the manner in which a narrative was improperly created, without the proper facts being put forward.

‘The team will now focus on means to pull itself out of the compromised League position it finds itself in and further announcements regarding the coaching staff will follow.

‘We regret any negative impact that the turn of events highlighted above may have caused to our loyal fans and sponsors.’