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Khoza throws curveball as Jonevret takes over

You are currently viewing Khoza throws curveball as Jonevret takes over

Orlando Pirates chairman Irvin Khoza has stunned the football fans around South Africa by naming Kjell Jonevret as the club’s new long-term coach, replacing Augusto Palacios.

Khoza made the announcement at a busy press conference on Monday, but it’s fair to say that few saw the 54-year-old Swede as the number one candidate for one of the toughest jobs in the country.

‘He has great staying power. And we hope his temperament can assist all of us. He is a teacher,’ Khoza said at the press conference.

‘We are going to do our best to assist the coach. This job is not solved by taking a headache tablet.

‘He won the league in Norway and in Sweden. But lets hear what the media has to ask.’

Jonevret has been out of work since leaving Viking at the end of last year after four years at the club. He has also spent time in charge of IK Sirius, Vasteras SK, Cafe Opera, Djurgardens IF and Molde.

‘I worked with Lance Davids and Siyabonga Nomvethe in the past. And have been to SA in the past. Everyone knows Pirates,’ Jonevret told the media after inking a three-year contract with the Soweto giants.

Harold Legodi will assist the new coach, following Bradley Carnell’s exit from the club. The former Bafana Bafana international, who joined the club’s backroom staff from Free State Stars, has accepted an offer abroad and was released on mutual terms by Pirates.

Jonevret will take over as soon as he receives his work permit, with Pirates in 10th place and reeling from a string of poor results.