Why Chippa United's instability is the textbook case on how not to run a football club
Chipaa United have fired Luc Eymael after a poor run of form.
Image: Pedro Mapelo
If there were ever a textbook on how not to run a football club, Gqeberha-based Chippa United would be one of the main case studies.
Barely two months into the new season, the club have already changed head coaches for the second time. The latest departure – that of the controversial Luc Eymael – does little to improve the club’s reputation.
Before finally appointing him earlier this season, Chippa had been chasing Eymael since 2020. Yet his past of racist comments kept coming back to haunt him.
In 2020, the 65-year-old was fired by Tanzania’s Young Africans after referring to the club’s supporters as “monkeys” and “dogs.” Speaking in an interview at the time, Eymael said: “They are completely stupid in this country. They can only shout. They are like monkeys or dogs who are only barking. They can only do that. They don’t know anything.”
Later that year, Chippa announced his appointment – but it sparked immediate outrage. The South African Football Association (SAFA) vowed to block the move over his offensive remarks.
“We find it deeply offensive that, as the global football community is united in solidarity around the Black Lives Matter campaign, Chippa United FC would see it fit to hire such a character to work in the city named after the founding father of the nation, Tata Nelson Mandela – the champion of a world free of racism and other forms of discrimination,” SAFA said at the time.
“SAFA will immediately be writing to the Minister of Home Affairs to express its objection to the granting of a work permit for him. We will also request the Ethics Committees of FIFA and SAFA to charge Mr Eymael, as his despicable conduct is a violation of the codes of both bodies.”
Four months later, Chippa tried again – once more facing public backlash. The EFF weighed in strongly, saying: “We want to reiterate our stance that we will ensure Luc Eymael won’t work in our province. He is not welcome, and we don’t have room for racists in this country.”
By going out of their way to appoint Eymael despite his racist past – and then sacking him just two months later – Chippa United have once again shown a stunning lack of foresight and leadership. This is a club that seems addicted to controversy and allergic to stability.
Football is a game that thrives on integrity and consistency, yet Chippa continue to operate like a circus act, stumbling from one PR disaster to the next. Firing Eymael so soon after defending his appointment isn’t just bad management – it’s proof that the club have learned nothing from their own history.
IOL Sport
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