Free State Stars have appointed Belgian-born Tom Saintfiet as the new head coach as part of the club’s backroom reshuffle.

In a bid to avoid a repeat of last season’s struggles the club has moved to shake up its coaching structure.

Saintfiet will be assisted by former club skipper Duncan Lechesa, whilst Andre Bronkhorst from neighbours Bloemfontein Celtic has been roped in as goalkeeper coach.

The Belgian takes over from Kinnah Phiri, who himself was brought in for the second half of last season as Ea Lla Koto narrowly managed to avoid relegation.

Long-standing coach Themba Sithole has been redeployed and will now be in charge of the development squads. He will be assisted by Edwin “The Great” Mofokeng.

Stars General Manager Rantsi Mokoena confirmed:  “Saintfiet is now our new Head Coach. The coach brings vast experience and his track records as a coach speaks volume.

“One hopes that he will add value to our technical team having worked with a number of African teams. We are happy to have Saintfiet in our arsenal. We hope he will take the team to greater heights and help us improve on last season’s disappointing performance.”