Mr Alejandro Dorado Rodriguez (38) will be the new head coach of Black Leopards. This announcement was made by the new chairman of the club, Mr Tshifhiwa Thidiela, during a press conference at the Meropa Casino Conference Centre on Monday.

Two weeks ago, on 23 June, Thidiela announced that a former player of the team, Peter Mponda, had been appointed as the assistant coach. Rodriguez and Mponda will have to try and ensure that Black Leopards perform well in the Motsepe Foundation Championship League. After being relegated from this league last season, Leopards bought the franchise from Cape Town All Stars.

Mr Alejandro Dorado Rodriguez (38) will have his work cut out to ensure that Leopards perform well this season. According to Mr Thidiela, the Spanish-born mentor will bring in another assistant to work alongside Peter Mponda. Although Mr Rodriguez knows very little about South African football and Black Leopards in particular, Mponda knows Black Leopards inside and out.

Rodriguez began his coaching career as a young coach at Spanish Giant Real Madrid in 2012. He was later appointed assistant coach at FC Honka in 2018, where he spent one season. He also coached in China and Canada between 2019 and 2022. He holds a UEFA Pro Licence.

Mponda is not a new name in Black Leopards’ history. Born at Machinga village in Malawi 41 years ago, Mponda’s football career started way back in 1995. At that stage, he was playing for the reserve side of Big Bullets FC. He was later promoted to the professional side of the same club. He played for several teams in his home country, including Ottawa Wizards and Caps United before he emigrated to South Africa in 2005.

The first team that he played for in South Africa was Black Leopards. He played for Lidoda duvha for five solid soccer seasons before he moved to Santos FC. He retired from playing professional football in June 2012 to pursue a career in coaching. He was the head coach for the Malawian U/20 national team since his retirement.

Asked about his short- and long-term goals at Black Leopards, the former Malawian international centre back was quick to say that his immediate goal was to win back the supporters and to restore the team’s pride. He reckoned that the Thohoyandou Stadium used to be filled to capacity in all the home games of Black Leopards during his time as a player for the team. He reiterated the fact that for him to achieve his set target would be easy since he knew the culture of Black Leopards.