Former Kaizer Chiefs coach Ernst Middendorp has joined Ethiopian giants, Saint George, on a three-year contract.

Middendorp left Amakhosi at the end of last term after a disastrous campaign which saw him losing the league race on the final day after staying at the top for the majority of the season.

The German gaffer, 61, was unveiled as the new Saint George coach on Friday.

Speaking in his first interview after signing the contract, he said: “I’m very happy to coach a club like Saint George. It didn’t take too much of my time to research and understand the nature and ambition of the club.

“Of course it’s not my job to talk about the targets. I think it’s given if you coach a club like Kumasi Assante Kotoko in Ghana, Kaizer Chiefs in South Africa or Saint George in Ethiopia, that it’s all about being a champion at the end of the season.”

Saint George is Ethiopia’s biggest and oldest team. They were established in 1935 and have won the top-flight title 29 times.