MATSHELANE MAMABOLO
THE information you find about Peter Hyballa on the net paints a picture of a volatile coach with itchy feet. In person, Sekhukhune United’s new coach from Germany comes across as a jolly fellow with no airs about him and one who just loves football.
He endeared himself to the South African media during his club’s MTN8 open day in Bedfordview, Johannesburg yesterday when he told it like it is, as Germans are wont to – Hyballa revealing how hard he found it to pronounce some of his players’ names due to the clicks and describing South African football as giving its exponents ‘no rest’.
The 48-year-old was a surprise choice by Sekhukhune, who parted ways with Lehlohonolo Seema late last season and his joining the club appeared to be somewhat of a desperate act by the team that plays its matches out of Limpopo, despite being based in Gauteng. Babina Noko had targeted Morena Ramoreboli and Fernando Cruz but failed to secure any of those.
In came Hyballa, whose longest spell at a club was 18 months and who has worked in eight countries in a 12-year coaching career. He has two spells at Dutch side NAC Breda, of nine months and four months, lasted three months at Esbjerg fB and two moths at Türkgücü München, while his relationship with AS Trenčín lasted for a mere month.
He has been described as fanatical and is apparently wont to having conflicts with management, as well as clashes with players, while there have also been reports of physical and mental abuse of players. At one club he even had a fallout with the legends, leading to his departure.
At the media conference, though, Hyballa was amiable, making jokes and responding to questions forthrightly.
He gave the impression of being a driven coach who works hard to achieve success while also being a team player who does not impose his ways on his teams but works with what he has. For one, he did not bring his own technical team because he believes he will benefit from having local assistants who understand the domestic game.
“I’ve had success in the past and sometimes I was fired in the past. It’s a part of the job as a coach.
“I am a German-Dutch coach and I am open to going to other countries, because I think this is my eighth country. I am open. And you need to be brave to go to another country and to learn another language and another style.
“They were searching for a brave coach, and maybe a coach who can implement maybe a new style and adapt his own style – a mixture a little bit.”
He says he will not struggle to adapt to South Africa.
“How do I adapt to South Africa? Maybe (use) more sunscreen for my skin,” he said, to great laughter.
He is excitedly anticipating his first match in South Africa – the MTN8 quarter-final against Cape Town City at the Peter Mokaba Stadium on Saturday.
“Cape Town City is a very good team. We analysed Cape Town City with two to three matches on video, it’s always important that coaches know a lot about the opponent because we must plan out sessions for this game.
“I think we are ready and we have respect for Eric Tinkler and City – good team, good coach. But we are ready for the quarter-finals because we want to go to the semifinals.”