With Chippa surprisingly recalling Ntsabo and Johnson to the club for the upcoming season, their agent,, Ntobatsi Masegela, says the pair is motivated to make a meaningful contribution at Chippa.
“Yes both Azola Ntsabo and Darren Johnson were released publicly, that’s a known thing. But we had to sit down and find each with the Chippa United management,” Masegela said
“So I can tell you that everything is ironed out, and the players are motivated to be at Chippa to prove their qualities. I mean, we’re talking about Ntsabo, who’s a quality left-back, and Johnson, even though he didn’t get to play that much, he’s a quality goalkeeper. I’m sure you’ll remember his performance when Chippa beat Kaizer Chiefs at Buffalo City Stadium last season, and he kept a clean sheet.”
Ntsabo featured in 16 appearances in all competitions for Chippa while Johnson has played three matches after serving as third choice goalie to Stanley Nwabali and Lloyd Kazapua.
The Chippa Mpengesi-owned showed several players the exit door, including Luvuyo Mamela, Roscoe Petersen, Loydt Kazapua, Azola Ntsabo, Siyabonga Nhlapo, Siphelele Luthuli, Darren Johnson, Menzi Ndwandwe, Andile Fakude, Kamohelo Mahlatsi, Diego Apollis, Khanyisile Mayo, Siseko Manona, Yurig Conwood, and Andile Mbenyane.
The Chilli are currently undergoing drastic changes in their squad to improve on their disappointing 12th-place finish in the previous campaign. In the 2023/24 season, Chippa won eight league matches, drew 10 and lost 12 times in 30 games. After accumulating just 34 points, they failed to qualify for the top eight to participate in 2024 MTN8.
The inconsistent run of form has prompted the Gqeberha-based side to make changes in the technical team. They named Kwanele Kopo the head coach, while Thabo September was deployed as the assistant coach.
After being appointed in January 2024, Kopo and September initially served as co-coaches at the club. Before the coaching duo took over, Morgan Mammila was at the helm, and he was moved to the technical director role upon the arrival of Kopo and September.
Mammila has since been shown the exit door at Chippa a few months ago and he has taken over as the coach of the Motsepe Foundation Championship side Baroka FC.
Football agent Ntobatsi Masegela has explained Azola Ntsabo and Darren Johnson’s surprise return to Chippa United ahead of the 2024/25 Betway Premiership season.
Ntsabo and Johnson were among the 16 players Chippa United released at the end of last season.
