Chiefs coach Muhsin Ertugral received a nomination for an award he never in his wildest dreams expected he could win, and was well surprised on Saturday while he was still away in Germany attending to family matters.He could win an award at the annual South African Sports Journalist of the year awards which will be held in Sandton on the 8th May. The Chiefs coach was nominated by members of the media as one of the most ‘Media Friendly Sports Personalities in South Africa’, Ertugral who is always open to chat to the media has become a likeable personality since he returned to South African football at the start of the 2006 – 2007 season.

Friendly nomination

Ertugral was surprised to hear that he had been nominated for his friendly behaviour to the members of the media over the past season and believes that even if he does not win the award, being nominated for being open and friendly to people is victory enough. As he explained “it's nice to see that the media are happy with the way I am to them, they are an integral part of the game and need to be treated as such. Whether they writing good or bad things or saying it on television, as a coach you have to deal with it - that’s the nature of football. I do wish that I can win this award it's always nice to win awards. I have a team of people who help me with the playing side of things, and for this nomination credits must also go to my media officer as the media team have assisted in us getting this nomination”.

Well deserved

Minanawa Ntloko the deputy Editor of the Business Day newspaper and someone who needs to be in regular touch with the Chiefs coach, says that he believes that should Ertugral win the award it will be a well-deserved one. Ntloko said to kaizerchiefs.com “Muhsin Ertugral is one of the most accessible coaches in the PSL, things have not been particularly easy for him this season but throughout he has been there to field calls and answer questions at all times. He is a user friendly coach and never turns down an interview request which makes working with him easy, Eventhough there are times when we do not agree he still takes time out to speak to the media”.