'Things could have been handled better at Baroka'

Former Baroka FC coach Dan Malesela has revealed what he says is the main reason the club got relegated this season.

Malesela started the 2025/2026 season as the head coach at the Motsepe Foundation Championship side, but his contract was terminated in November 2025 after a long dispute, this was after he was charged for breach of contract, which is losing three matches in a row.

Malesela was initially suspended in October 2025 due to a string of poor results. Winning just one of the seven matches of the season. Both parties reached an agreement to part ways.

READ: Baroka relegated to third tier, Leopards next?

The club quickly appointed Tlisane Motaung [formerly of AmaTuks] until the end of the season.

"I sympathize, obviously I had a connection with the club, but things could have been handled better from the beginning and this team wouldn't be where it is," Malesela tells KickOff.

"It's just the arrangement of things that was off. Especially the playing personnel, it was wrong for this level. If we recruited better, the club wouldn't be where it is right now. It hurts."

Malesela said the club is one of the few teams with such a facility, saying it's the only team in the country that owns a stadium.

"To get promoted from the Motsepe Foundation Championship to the Betway Premiership you really need experienced players. I don't understand what people are hoping to achieve with the under-23 rule. This thing has been tried, tested and it is still not working."

The experienced mentor said because the Motsepe Foundation Championship is a paying league, teams shouldn't be obliged to play under-23s.

READ: Baroka and Chiefs, how times have changed

"This is not a development league, this is a professional league. You don't do such in a professional league.

"The PSL must have a re-look at this thing and scrap it immediately. It's not helping the clubs and it is not helping the competition. It puts pressure on the coaches who must risk their jobs and always find means to accommodate these boys in their line-ups."

Related tags

Baroka Fc Dan Malesela Motsepe Foundation Championship relegation