Durban City move to part ways with Gavin Hunt

Hunt, a four-time league title winner, joined the newly promoted side on a one-year deal in July with the expectation of retaining their Betway Premiership status.

City’s opening 14 matches have delivered mixed fortunes – including a Carling Knockout exit – yet the team remains inside the top eight, broadly tracking the targets set for the campaign.

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But despite the relatively stable league position, relations behind the scenes have grown increasingly strained. Information gathered by the public broadcaster indicates that chairman Farook Kadodia and Hunt have clashed over the club’s long-term planning, recruitment strategy and broader football philosophy.

Hunt has hinted in recent interviews that several key decisions, including player signings, were not handled in a way he believed would best serve the team, suggesting he had not been afforded the freedom he expected.

These tensions were further underscored by the departure of sporting director Ernst Middendorp, who left the club after only three months. Middendorp and Hunt are understood to have disagreed sharply on technical and structural matters, adding another layer to the ongoing discord within City’s football hierarchy.

The decision to push ahead with Hunt’s termination comes days after the club’s 2–0 defeat to Orlando Pirates at Moses Mabhida Stadium, a result that sent the Soweto giants to the top of the league standings.

City wrap up the first half of their season on Wednesday night away to Orbit College at Olympia Park in Rustenburg. With the Africa Cup of Nations break approaching and the termination notice already triggered, Hunt is not expected to lead the team from the bench for that fixture.