Peter Koutroulis says Magesi must make an impact the PSL

Magesi technical adviser Peter Koutroulis says they will have to be more professional in all departments and sign quality players for their maiden campaign in the Premier Soccer League (PSL)  next season. 

Polokwane-based Magesi secured automatic promotion from the Motsepe Foundation Championship (MFC) to the PSL on Sunday when they defeated Milford 3-1 to open an unassailable eight-point lead at the top of the table to clinch the title. 

Koutroulis said preparations for life at the top table of SA football must start in earnest now while ensuring Magesi complete their last two league matches in style. 

“We need to be more professional in all the departments, we need to sign good players, but I am going to sit down with my chair [Solly Makhubela] and plan for the next steps going forward,” Koutroulis said. 

“The PSL is a tough league — look at what happened to Cape Town Spurs [who are in last place in their promoted season] — so we don’t want to go there and next season we come down. I have experience in this because I have promoted four clubs in Mpumalanga Aces, Chippa United, Sekhukhune United and Magesi. 

“This club fought relegation [in the MFC] last season and now they are in the PSL. We have a good coach in Clinton Larsen who I have known for a long time since his playing days and we have a good relationship and we work very well together.” 

Koutroulis said he delivered on the promise he made at the beginning of the season that he would promote Magesi. 

“At the end of the day, we promoted the club and that is because the chair of the club gave me freedom. From the start of the season, when we had the press conference, I was positive and I said we will meet when the PSL fixtures come out and no-one believed me.

“I love my job, I am a fighter, I put a good structure and we promoted Magesi.” 

Koutroulis said part of his success stems from respecting the players and having a good relationship with the coach. 

“You need to understand the language of the players and your coach — if you do that you will never go wrong. Give me freedom to run an NFD [MFC] club, I will promote it.

“I don’t have any secrets but I have a good structure, I respect the players, I try to treat the players like they are in the PSL.

“I have a lot of experience in football and I am happy to be back in the PSL. Coming to Magesi at the beginning of the season was a good challenge because NFD is not a bad league.” 

Magesi’s past two MFC games are against Casric Stars at Giyani Stadium on Sunday and Venda Football Club at Old Peter Mokaba Stadium on May 19.