Former Bafana Bafana midfielder Eric Tinkler has quit as coach of SuperSport United with immediate effect.
Tinkler has been under pressure over the last few weeks as Matsatsantsa a Pitori have battled to get results, and he handed in his resignation on Friday morning.
SuperSport announced the decision via their Twitter account on Friday evening.
Assistant coach Kaitano Tembo will take over in a caretaker capacity until the end of the season.
“I have been in discussion with club management about the poor performance of the team for a while now. In reflecting on the last few games, I have not been satisfied with the response out on the pitch,” Tinkler said.
“I believe we can turn things around, but the only way of getting out of our current position is to have a fully unified and committed response from the players, and I haven’t been able to get that from them, so it seems best for all parties that we part ways.
“I wish the club all the best, and I am glad I could add to their trophy cabinet with the MTN8.”
SuperSport are languishing in 12th position on the Premiership log after 23 matches, having won just six and lost nine, with eight draws.
The last straw for Tinkler and the club was the 2-0 defeat to Ajax Cape Town at the Athlone Stadium on Wednesday night.
. @SuperSportFC have agreed to release Eric Tinkler from his contract with immediate effect following his resignation as Head Coach earlier today #SkeemaMatsatsantsa
— SuperSport United FC (@SuperSportFC) March 2, 2018
SuperSport United chief executive Stan Matthews added: “We decided to accept Eric’s resignation today. Clearly, the league results achieved have not been up to the standards we set for ourselves.
“We have 17 consecutive top-eight finishes under our belt, so to be in the position we currently find ourselves is not easy to accept.
“We believe in the group of players we have, in their playing ability as well as their desire to fight for the club.
“We wish Eric well in the future and thank him for his contribution in adding the MTN8 trophy to our cabinet during his short spell at the club.”
@ashfakmohamed