Golden Arrows co-coach Musa Bilankulu emphasizes that their defeat against Richards Bay at Mpumalanga Stadium on Saturday in the Betway Premiership was not entirely due to the absence of co-coach Mabhuti Khenyeza from the sidelines.

Khenyeza expressed frustration with the situation, opting to step back from the club, as reported by Sportswire last week, feeling that his efforts were being overlooked.

The club has confirmed that Khenyeza had been absent for nearly two weeks, and it appears that the situation is unlikely to improve, with sources informing Sportswire of his displeasure regarding the club’s involvement in his responsibilities.

This development follows the team’s achievement of two consecutive victories, which brought them to sixth place in the standings before Khenyeza decided to withdraw.

In Khenyeza’s absence on Saturday, Arrows’ winning streak was halted by the struggling Richards Bay, who secured their second win of the season and their first under co-coaches Ronnie Gabriel and Sboniso Gumede.

Despite Khenyeza’s absence, Bilankulu underscored the collaborative effort within their coaching team: “The preparation wasn’t challenging because we have been working closely together, all three of us (including Kagisho Dikgacoi),” Bilankulu noted.

“With coach Mabhuti away, we had to assume our responsibilities since we had already established structured programs. His presence was not the sole factor in leading our sessions.

“We were all engaged in contributing ideas and planning our training sessions even before he stepped away, and I don’t think his absence was the reason for our defeat.

“We acknowledged the circumstance and needed to keep our focus professional during the match. I am hesitant to attribute our loss to Khenyeza’s absence because everyone worked diligently during preparation and showed promise.

“Therefore, I cannot blame the players or the tactical team; we put in our best effort, and I still believe we had the potential to win, which makes it unfortunate that we failed to capitalize on our opportunities in the second half.”

This defeat resulted in Arrows slipping to seventh place in the Betway Premiership table with 13 points from nine matches. Meanwhile, Richards Bay climbed off the bottom, moving to 15th with eight points from 11 matches, ending a five-game losing streak that led to the dismissal of former coach Brandon Truter.