Maritzburg and Middendorp part ways with Fadlu Davids touted for swift return

Maritzburg United and head coach Ernst Middendorp have parted ways with immediate effect, the club confirmed on Wednesday.

It ends a fourth stint in charge of Maritzburg for the 63-year-old German tactician.

Middendorp arrived for his fourth spell in November 2020 and led the Team of Choice to a 13th-placed finish in 2020/2021 and a 12th-placed finish in the recently concluded season.

On both occasions, the KwaZulu-Natal outfit came perilously close to being relegated.

According to reports, Fadlu Davids could reunite with brother Maahier at the helm of Maritzburg.

Maahier was assistant to Middendorp, while Fadlu has recently parted ways with Pirates, having been co-coach with Mandla Ncikazi at the Soweto giants.

Fadlu impressed in his last stint as Maritzburg head coach, taking the side to the Nedbank Cup final,where they lost out to Free State Stars and were four points away from CAF Confederation Cup football on the league standings.

Martizburg United statement 

Maritzburg United Football Club can confirm that the club have parted ways with head coach Ernst Middendorp with immediate effect. Middendorp, who re-joined the club in November 2020, had most recently guided the Team of Choice to an underwhelming 12th place position in the 2021/2022 DStv Premiership season which saw the Team of Choice battle relegation for much of the season. “At a post season board meeting, the directors had expressed their disappointment at the club’s on field performances over the past 24 months together with the high turnover rate of new player signings during this period. As a club, we have invested a lot in football development more especially in the last two years and the board felt that we cannot be continually fighting relegation. We have