After being found not guilty of all the charges against him, John Mitchell has been requested to return to work tomorrow as head coach of the Lions.
Sport24.com reports that Mitchell’s lawyer, Brian Patterson, confirmed that the suspension has been lifted and that Mitchell needs to return to his job as head coach of the Lions.
According to Patterson, Mitchell is looking forward to taking the helm of the team, feeling that his position and reputation as an international coach has been vindicated.
It is unknown at this stage whether Johan Ackermann will remain at the union as an assistant coach, the role he held before Mitchell was suspended. There is also doubt surrounding the return of Mitchell’s other assistant, Carlos Spencer.
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Circus.
I get the feeling that Mitchell and the Lions are playing an elaborate game of chicken trying to see who will cave first.
@vanmartin (Comment 2) :
That’s exactly what it is.
They know he is currently in the UK.
@Salmonoid (Comment 1) : they should join the Boswell crew touring the country
Now we’ll see all those patriotic rats also abandon ship 😆
oh man this is hilarious
@robdylan (Comment 6) :
Robbo!!
I will just love it if, when KDK or whoever opens the office tomorrow morning, arrive to find Mitchell sitting on the steps waiting to get his first cup of coffee.
@Salmonoid (Comment 8) :
Hehe touche. I think there will be certain players doing a loooot of fitness over the coming weeks…
Will they introduce group sessions where players can talk about their feelings now that Mitch is back? 😆
@Salmonoid (Comment 8) : Here Kevin, look at what I got at the duty free boghouse for you.
@VinChainSaw
@Salmonoid (Comment 11) :
I’ve never met the man, but Mitch looks like one intense dude.
It wouldnt surprise me if I logged onto news24 one day and found out he’d gone postal on those ladyboys in Jozi.
Yay, Super Rugby Player!! Get in there!
@VinChainSaw (Comment 12) : Agree, but sometimes certain people need exactly those types to bring out the best of them. Its almost as if they dont have the maturity/discipline to realise their own potential.
@Salmonoid (Comment 14) :
Yeah look I completely agree! I dont remember any coach of mine ever being my tjommie!
This is bad news.
I really hoped he would join us next year in an assistant tipe capacity.
Reaching two finals and not winning anything . . . if anyone deserved to be ” vloeked ” it`s our prima donnas . . .
@Original Pierre (Comment 16) : need someone to work with players head to help them win big matches and a line out coach, the rest is sorted
The less of these players we have the better ,bunch of soft whingers
According to the Rugby 365 website Jonathan Mokuena called the Kiwi a “demon” who treats players like “animals”.
“We (the players) are humans, not animals. We are adults. You don’t curse and swear adults who are married and already have children – that is not how you treat people.
“Johan Ackermann is a great person and he knows how to work with adults.”
Although Mokuena left the Lions before their successful Currie Cup campaign in 2011, he confirmed that he had experienced the same unpleasantness that resulted in misconduct
charges being laid against Mitchell by the players.
“I wasn’t part of the current complaints against him. By then I had already returned to Griquas.
“The environment for me just wasn’t right.
“Obviously he didn’t rate me as a player, but I experienced this all during my time at the Lions.”
@Megatron (Comment 19) : Think some of the players think they are bigger than the game and if they don’t like something they snap their fingers and they get what they want. Must say I also don’t rate Mokuena in the 15 man game, lots of younger and better players around.