Steve Komphela has lashed out at Free State Stars’ Nedbank Cup-winning coach Luc Eymael, who made reference to the former Chiefs mentors’ failures. 

The Belgian mentor took an apparent swipe at Komphela when he said that he has won a trophy in just two years in South Africa, while some coaches with several years of experience are yet to lift silverware.

While Komphela’s name was not mentioned, it was quite clear who Eymael was referring to.

This is not the first time that the two have clashed. Both managers were involved in public spats when news started to emerge that Eymael could replace Komphela as Chiefs coach.

This was then further intensified when Eymael’s Free State Stars knocked Kaizer Chiefs out of the Nedbank Cup, which prompted Komphela’s resignation.

Komphela, speaking to Metro FM’s Ultimate Sports Show with Thomas Mlambo, hit back at the Belgian for his comments.

‘There’s a guy‚ uGeorge Bernard Shaw – there’s one quote that he once gave‚ making reference to a pig‚ that you don’t wrestle like a pig in the mud‚ because it will get you dirty,’ Komphela said.

‘And besides‚ the pig just loves that. Which is why I ignored him.

‘Luc Eymael – I wish he was here so that we could talk. Because again now‚ I’m responding here and he’s not here‚ he’s going to come up and say‚ no I was talking about him on Metro‚ and all that,’ he continued.

‘I don’t want that. I told him anyway in Bethlehem what I feel about him‚ and I don’t move an inch‚ I still believe that.

‘You see there’s a big perception by some of these [foreign managers] who come here to South Africa‚ thinking that we South Africans have to lie there and then they must make us carpets.

‘No‚ no‚ no. One big mistake is that when I lie down and then you accept that you must dust your feet‚ it’s not that I’m a carpet‚ but I must [show] humility. It is not that I’m stupid,’ he lashed out.

‘So‚ Luc Eymael‚ these are mercenaries. You can see the profile of this guy,’ he added.

‘He comes to Polokwane City‚ he doesn’t complete a contract. Lack of courtesy and professionalism,’ said the former Chiefs boss.

‘He goes to Bloemfontein Celtic and all that. Now listen to what he says. I have never seen a human being think like this. Not unless this guy thinks very little of us as a society,’ lamented Komphela.

‘He says he is giving Chiefs and SuperSport [United] a week to respond to him. If they come in a week‚ then he’s not going to go back there [to Stars],’ noted the coach.

‘My man‚ how do you say such? Even in the press conference, he was not even aware that he was busy insulting his current employers,’ Komphela asserted.

‘Besides insulting the current employer‚ he’s insulting the next potential employer. We as South Africans‚ this is the ill that we need to address in our society,’ he added.

‘Abantu [people]‚ because they can easily identify with you‚ Steve Komphela‚ they can easily throw things at you,’ he explained.

‘But somebody they cannot easily identify with then they all of a sudden have this respect. They need to have a paradigm shift,’ he concluded.

Photo: Samuel Shivambu/BackpagePix