Sead Ramovic has reflected on the reactions from South African football fans when he was appointed head coach of TS Galaxy in 2021, noting that he was labelled a “German plumber.”
In South African football, the term “plumber” is often used to describe underperforming coaches or those with limited managerial success.
Similarly, José Riveiro faced the same label when he joined Orlando Pirates, where fans referred to him as a “Spanish plumber” due to his modest achievements before taking charge of the Buccaneers.
Before landing the South African job, Ramovic had been working as an assistant manager for Novi Pazar FC in the Serbian SuperLiga.
The German coach was at the helm of the Mpumalanga-based team for over three years. He led them to a sixth-place finish last season and to their first-ever Carling Knockout Cup final, where he came up short 5-4 on penalties against Stellenbosch FC in the previous season.
However, the 2024-25 season began poorly for Ramovic. He endured six losses, managed only a single victory, and drew twice in nine matches across all competitions, ultimately leading to his departure earlier this month.
On 15 November, the 45-year-old was announced as the head coach of the Tanzanian club Young Africans, replacing Miguel Gamondi who parted ways with the club after experiencing back-to-back losses.
Ramovic’s tenure at Yanga began with a 2-0 loss against Al Hilal in the CAF Champions League Group A match at Benjamin Mkapa Stadium on Tuesday. He will get a chance to turn things around when he takes on Namungo FC on Saturday in a league match.
“When I arrived in South Africa, they called me the German plumber, it means I don’t know but it was not a positive thing. After a while, I got good critics, and the opinions changed from game to game,” Ramovic told the media on Monday.
Written by Siphesihle Soni