Stuart Baxter resigns as South Africa national team coach during a press conference at the Killarney Country Club, Johannesburg on 02 August 2019 ©Gavin Barker/BackpagePix
Odisha sack former Kaizer Chiefs coach Stuart Baxter
Indian Super League outfit Odisha FC has parted ways with former Kaizer Chiefs head coach Stuart Baxter effective immediately.
Stuart Baxter resigns as South Africa national team coach during a press conference at the Killarney Country Club, Johannesburg on 02 August 2019 ©Gavin Barker/BackpagePix
Indian Super League outfit Odisha FC has parted ways with former Kaizer Chiefs head coach Stuart Baxter effective immediately.
The news of Baxter’s sacking comes hours after his rape comments caused a stir among the football fans across the world following Odisha’s 1-0 loss to Jamshedpur on Monday.
In his post-match interview, Baxter suggested that one of his players would need to rape someone or be raped in order to be awarded a penalty, and these comments led to Odisha distancing themselves from the coach’s views.
Odisha moved swiftly to apologize to their fans almost immediately after the match but that wasn’t enough for Baxter to keep his job as he has now been fired from his position as the club’s coach.
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In a statement released on Tuesday, Odisha said an interim coach will be appointed in the near future.
“Odisha FC has decided to terminate Head Coach, Stuart Baxter’s contract with immediate effect. The interim coach for the remainder of the season will be announced soon,” reads the statement.
Apart from the ‘appalling’ rape comments, the 67-year-old’s future at the club had been hanging in the balance following a series of poor results this season.
Under Stuart Baxter’s watch, Odisha finds itself at the bottom of the log with just one win from their opening 14 league games.
It remains to be seen where the former Amakhosi tactician will be heading next, especially after being linked with a return to South Africa prior to joining Odisha in June 2020.
Baxter has a solid track record in the PSL with four titles – two league titles, the Nedbank Cup and the MTN8 whom he won with Chiefs between 2012 ans 2015.
He also had a stint with SuperSport United, steering them to two Nedbank Cup titles before joining Bafana Bafana for a second spell.
His first spell between 2004 and 2005 wasn’t a success but Baxter did fairly well on his return to the country’s hotseat in 2017, helping South Africa reach the quarterfinals of the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon).
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