Kaizer Chiefs have announced the appointment of Ernst Middendorp for a second stint at the club.
The Amakhosi made the surprise call on Friday night, just a few hours after stating that they had terminated the contract of Italian mentor Giovanni Solinas.
German coach Middendorp was in charge of the Amakhosi from 2005-2007, during which they won the SAA Supa 8 tournament.
“Kaizer Chiefs can confirm the appointment of Ernst Middendorp as the new head coach on a deal for two and a half years. Welcome back to the Amakhosi Family,” Chiefs announced on their Twitter account on Friday.
The 60-year-old Middendorp has had a long association with South African football, having also been at the helm of Maritzburg United, Golden Arrows, Bloemfontein Celtic and Chippa United.
Middendorp appointed as new coach
Kaizer Chiefs can confirm the appointment of Ernst Middendorp as the new head coach on a deal for two and a half years.
Welcome back to the Amakhosi Family #HailTheChief #Amakhosi4Life pic.twitter.com/3ZHuXTSDaO
— Kaizer Chiefs (@KaizerChiefs) December 7, 2018
Middendorp is certainly a left-field choice by the Chiefs bosses, with a number of higher-profile candidates who were reportedly being targeted over the last few weeks as the pressure increased on Solinas.
Among the possibilities were Frenchman Patrice Carteron, Dutch master Ruud Krol and even Bafana Bafana coach Stuart Baxter.
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