Shock as South African coach leaves club for “personal reasons”

Those reasons have not been disclosed, but the decision will inevitably get the rumour mill turning, with potential vacancies opening up in the Betway Premiership and reports suggesting Durban City have parted ways with Khalil Ben Youssef.

Tinkler arrived at Kotoko in July and lifted the 2026 Democracy Cup with the side as they beat Hearts of Oak 4-1 on penalties.

His four Ghana Premier League matches in charge yielded a single victory, two draws and one defeat, which came last time out at home to Aduana FC.

“The Board of Directors of Asante Kotoko Sporting Club has agreed to the request of its Head Coach, Mr. Eric Tinkler, to be released from his contract with the Club effective immediately for personal reasons,” Kotoko said in a statement.

“Earlier on, both parties engaged in meaningful negotiations to avert the decision at this time of the relationship between the parties but finally had to respect Coach Tinkler’s decision.

“The Club maintains that professionalism, unwavering commitment and total focus are crucial to achieve the key performance indices it has set to meet its present objectives.

“The Club is grateful to Coach Tinkler for his professionalism and commitment to the success of the club during his rather short stint with the Porcupine Warriors and wishes him well in his next endeavours.

“The Club remains focused on its sporting objectives as the Technical Team is poised to proceed with the Club’s strategies to achieve its objectives under the leadership of the Director of Football, Mr. Stanley Purl Menzo.”

Tinkler’s coaching career has taken him to Orlando Pirates, Cape Town City, SuperSport United, Chippa United, Maritzburg United (now Durban City) and Sekhukhune United before his brief spell with Asante Kotoko.

He stepped up from an assistant role to take charge of Orlando Pirates, leading them to the 2015 CAF Confederation Cup final and the 2016 Nedbank Cup final, but without winning a trophy.

His first silverware as a head coach came with Cape Town City, whom he guided to the 2016 Telkom Knockout title in the club’s inaugural season.

He then moved to SuperSport United and won the 2017 MTN8, beating Cape Town City in the final, while also taking Matsatsantsa to the 2017 CAF Confederation Cup final.

Tinkler had shorter spells with Chippa United and Maritzburg United, taking the latter to the 2019 Telkom Knockout final, and returned to Cape Town City in 2021, where he later reached the 2021 MTN8 final but lost to Mamelodi Sundowns on penalties.

He joined Sekhukhune United in March 2025 and left in April 2026 without adding to his trophy haul.