Where is former Pirates and Bafana coach Gordon Igesund now?

Gordon Igesund is no stranger to local football lovers, given the fact that he remains the only coach to win the league with four different top-flight teams in the Premier Soccer League (PSL).

The 67-year-old coach has disappeared from the coaching for half a decade. He was last seen in the colours of Highlands Park. Having taken a four-year sabbatical from coaching, Igesund made a return to football and he is now based in Cape Town. The former Orlando Pirates mentor is now in grassroots football with Hamiltons Football Academy.

“I’ve been following the league since I took my break, and I know every team and every player. I am really keen on a return to the league, and I want to come back and win trophies again,” he told IOL in 2022.

Gordon Igesund started his coaching career at African Wanders back in 1995. He solidified his reputation by guiding Manning Rangers to the inaugural PSL title in the 1996/97 season. Subsequently, he clinched another title with Orlando Pirates in the 2000/01 season. His greatest achievement arguably came in the 2001/2 season when he orchestrated a surprise PSL win with Cape Town’s Santos.

Gordon Igesund shocked many when he won the PSL with Santos

He left Santos for rivals Ajax Cape Town but failed to find success. He then joined Mamelodi Sundowns, where he steered the Brazilians to a comfortable PSL victory in 2007.

In November 2010, Gordon Igesund assumed the role of coach at Moroka Swallows and propelled the team to second place in the 2011/12 season. His exceptional leadership earned him the PSL Coach of the Season award for the second time during his tenure with Swallows.

The Durban-born coach’s success saw him appointed Bafana Bafana coach on a two-year deal in 2013. His time with the national team ended in 2014, and he was not offered a contract renewal after poor results. He was replaced with Shakes Mashaba.

Igesund is the only coach to win the league with four different PSL teams

In September 2014, Gordon Igesund was named head coach of SuperSport United. Although he won the Telkom Knockout title in his first season, the club decided to sack him a season after.

In 2016, he was appointed as Highlands Park but was sacked after just four games. He is yet to make a comeback but at the age of 67, it remains unlikely if we would see Igesund on the touchline.