{"id":2461,"date":"2026-06-30T17:44:43","date_gmt":"2026-06-30T14:44:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/man-city-appoint-enzo-maresca-as-guardiola-era-ends-after-three-year-deal\/"},"modified":"2026-06-30T17:44:43","modified_gmt":"2026-06-30T14:44:43","slug":"man-city-appoint-enzo-maresca-as-guardiola-era-ends-after-three-year-deal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/man-city-appoint-enzo-maresca-as-guardiola-era-ends-after-three-year-deal\/","title":{"rendered":"Man City Appoint Enzo Maresca as Guardiola Era Ends After Three-Year Deal"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Manchester City have appointed former Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca to take charge as Pep Guardiola steps down at the conclusion of last season, marking the start of a new chapter at the Etihad Stadium.<\/p>\n<p>Maresca has agreed a three-year deal with the club, though the move took longer than expected as negotiations dragged on for several weeks before being finalized.<\/p>\n<h3>Quick facts<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Enzo Maresca has been hired to lead Manchester City after Pep Guardiola\u2019s departure at the end of last season.<\/li>\n<li>Maresca signed a three-year contract with City.<\/li>\n<li>His appointment was delayed due to Chelsea\u2019s request for compensation reported to be \u00a317 million (about $22 million).<\/li>\n<li>Maresca previously worked under Guardiola at City during the 2022-23 season.<\/li>\n<li>He also coached Leicester in the Championship and Chelsea in the Premier League.<\/li>\n<li>He is expected to guide City back to challenging for the Premier League title after two seasons without winning it.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u201cManchester City is a club I know very well and to have the chance to manage this team is a brilliant opportunity for me,\u201d Maresca said. He praised the club\u2019s structure, describing it as innovative, carefully planned and driven by purpose, adding that it gives a manager the stability needed to work effectively.<\/p>\n<p>The 46-year-old had been repeatedly linked with the City role once reports suggested Guardiola could be preparing to leave. However, the final confirmation was not immediate, with Chelsea\u2019s financial demands becoming the main stumbling block.<\/p>\n<p>City\u2019s new boss was still under contract with Chelsea until 2029, meaning his January exit triggered the need for a compensation agreement. Chelsea reportedly requested \u00a317 million (around $22 million) before allowing the transfer to proceed.<\/p>\n<p>In an unusual move, Chelsea issued a statement when Maresca\u2019s appointment was announced, aiming to clarify the circumstances surrounding his earlier talks with the club. The Blues said Maresca had informed them earlier in the season that there \u201cmight be an opportunity for him to succeed Pep Guardiola at the end of the season\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>Chelsea also referenced a dramatic moment in the coaching setup, stating: \u201cIn December 2025, our head coach unexpectedly and abruptly resigned from his position.\u201d The club added that it felt \u201clet down\u201d.<\/p>\n<h3>Rebuild job for City<\/h3>\n<p>Maresca inherits the challenge of returning City to the top of English football after two years without lifting the Premier League trophy. City\u2019s supporters will be watching closely for signs of how quickly the new manager can impose his methods and shape a title-level squad again.<\/p>\n<p>One reason City are comfortable with the appointment is Maresca\u2019s previous familiarity with the club\u2019s environment. He spent the 2022-23 campaign as an assistant under Guardiola, a period that produced a Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup treble.<\/p>\n<p>Before that, Maresca also worked within City\u2019s system, guiding the elite development team to the Premier League 2 title in 2020-21. He is also a former midfielder who played for Juventus and West Brom.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis will be my third spell here. I know this club, I know the demands and I know the expectations,\u201d Maresca said. He thanked the people at the club for their confidence and said he is eager to get started with the squad, insisting he wants City to win, play attractive football and handle the pressure of representing Manchester City.<\/p>\n<p>Maresca returns to management after leaving Chelsea under a cloud on New Year\u2019s Day, with his exit sparking strong feelings inside the dressing room. His first season at Stamford Bridge had looked like a bright start, with Chelsea finishing fourth in the Premier League while also winning the UEFA Conference League and the Club World Cup.<\/p>\n<p>Despite that early success, the relationship between Maresca and parts of the squad reportedly deteriorated as his departure approached. The statement noted that both Enzo Fernandez and Marc Cucurella\u2014who has since joined Real Madrid\u2014voiced frustration about the way the situation ended.<\/p>\n<p>Maresca had arrived at Chelsea after leading Leicester to promotion from the Championship in 2023-24. He is widely seen as a disciple of Guardiola, using the Spaniard\u2019s possession-based approach as the foundation for his own football ideas.<\/p>\n<p>But repeating Guardiola\u2019s achievements is expected to be a major test for Maresca. He will walk into a squad that has been reshaped substantially over the past 18 months, as City moved away from several key figures who helped define their dominant title-winning era.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Manchester City have appointed former Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca to take charge as Pep Guardiola steps down at the conclusion of last season, marking the start of a new chapter at the Etihad Stadium. Maresca has agreed a three-year deal with the club, though the move took longer than expected as negotiations dragged on [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2460,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_title":"Man City Name Enzo Maresca: Guardiola Exit Confirmed","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"Pep Guardiola\u2019s era ends as Manchester City appoint Enzo Maresca on a three-year deal, starting a bold new chapter at the Etihad.","mma_seo_breadcrumb_text":"","mma_seo_breadcrumb_url":"","mma_seo_breadcrumb_hide_ui":"","mma_seo_breadcrumb_labels":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2461","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-sports"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Man City Name Enzo Maresca: Guardiola Exit Confirmed<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Pep Guardiola\u2019s era ends as Manchester City appoint Enzo Maresca on a three-year deal, starting a bold new chapter at the Etihad.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/man-city-appoint-enzo-maresca-as-guardiola-era-ends-after-three-year-deal\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Man City Name Enzo Maresca: Guardiola Exit Confirmed\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Pep Guardiola\u2019s era ends as Manchester City appoint Enzo Maresca on a three-year deal, starting a bold new chapter at the Etihad.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/man-city-appoint-enzo-maresca-as-guardiola-era-ends-after-three-year-deal\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Zalebs\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ZAlebs\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-06-30T14:44:43+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/man-city-hire-maresca-start-8e14.webp\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"571\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"371\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/webp\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Zibuyile Dladla\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@Zalebs\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@Zalebs\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Zibuyile Dladla\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"NewsArticle\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/man-city-appoint-enzo-maresca-as-guardiola-era-ends-after-three-year-deal\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/man-city-appoint-enzo-maresca-as-guardiola-era-ends-after-three-year-deal\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Zibuyile Dladla\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/6da1a9a659a2b9fb37587bf050637d1e\"},\"headline\":\"Man City Appoint Enzo Maresca as Guardiola Era Ends After Three-Year Deal\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-30T14:44:43+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/man-city-appoint-enzo-maresca-as-guardiola-era-ends-after-three-year-deal\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":741,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/man-city-appoint-enzo-maresca-as-guardiola-era-ends-after-three-year-deal\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/man-city-hire-maresca-start-8e14.webp\",\"articleSection\":[\"Sports\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/man-city-appoint-enzo-maresca-as-guardiola-era-ends-after-three-year-deal\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/man-city-appoint-enzo-maresca-as-guardiola-era-ends-after-three-year-deal\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/man-city-appoint-enzo-maresca-as-guardiola-era-ends-after-three-year-deal\\\/\",\"name\":\"Man City Name Enzo Maresca: Guardiola Exit Confirmed\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/man-city-appoint-enzo-maresca-as-guardiola-era-ends-after-three-year-deal\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/man-city-appoint-enzo-maresca-as-guardiola-era-ends-after-three-year-deal\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/man-city-hire-maresca-start-8e14.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-30T14:44:43+00:00\",\"description\":\"Pep Guardiola\u2019s era ends as Manchester City appoint Enzo Maresca on a three-year deal, starting a bold new chapter at the Etihad.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/man-city-appoint-enzo-maresca-as-guardiola-era-ends-after-three-year-deal\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/man-city-appoint-enzo-maresca-as-guardiola-era-ends-after-three-year-deal\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/man-city-appoint-enzo-maresca-as-guardiola-era-ends-after-three-year-deal\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/man-city-hire-maresca-start-8e14.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/man-city-hire-maresca-start-8e14.webp\",\"width\":571,\"height\":371},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/man-city-appoint-enzo-maresca-as-guardiola-era-ends-after-three-year-deal\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Zalebs\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Man City Appoint Enzo Maresca as Guardiola Era Ends After Three-Year Deal\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/\",\"name\":\"Zalebs\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Africa New Media Group\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/logo-new.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/logo-new.webp\",\"width\":350,\"height\":132,\"caption\":\"Africa New Media Group\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/ZAlebs\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/Zalebs\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/zalebs\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/@ZalebsEntertainment\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/6da1a9a659a2b9fb37587bf050637d1e\",\"name\":\"Zibuyile Dladla\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/1f581f0bb57ed4fd97eeb8353242d5a3c12548c2ff26373e9e5be1e00d4fad05?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/1f581f0bb57ed4fd97eeb8353242d5a3c12548c2ff26373e9e5be1e00d4fad05?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/1f581f0bb57ed4fd97eeb8353242d5a3c12548c2ff26373e9e5be1e00d4fad05?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Zibuyile Dladla\"},\"description\":\"Zibuyile began her media journey as a sales intern at Mediamark (Kagiso Media) before moving into digital content creation for ZAlebs.com. Over four years, she helped evolve the platform from a simple blog into one of South Africa\u2019s leading independent entertainment news sites. Following ZAlebs\u2019 transition to Celebrity Worx in 2016, Zibuyile was promoted to Executive Editor, recognized for her sharp audience insight and ability to match editorial with branded content. Highlights of her time include a Bookmark Award nomination, judging TLC\u2019s Next Great Presenter, reporting from the MTV EMAs, and building partnerships with radio stations like YFM, Cliff Central, and Good Hope FM. Her editorial work also expanded to include fast-growing digital verticals\u2014such as lifestyle tech, online entertainment, and gambling-related content\u2014tailored to evolving reader interests and brand opportunities.\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/za.linkedin.com\\\/in\\\/zibuyile-dladla-9a26628a\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/author\\\/zibuyile-dladla\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Man City Name Enzo Maresca: Guardiola Exit Confirmed","description":"Pep Guardiola\u2019s era ends as Manchester City appoint Enzo Maresca on a three-year deal, starting a bold new chapter at the Etihad.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/man-city-appoint-enzo-maresca-as-guardiola-era-ends-after-three-year-deal\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Man City Name Enzo Maresca: Guardiola Exit Confirmed","og_description":"Pep Guardiola\u2019s era ends as Manchester City appoint Enzo Maresca on a three-year deal, starting a bold new chapter at the Etihad.","og_url":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/man-city-appoint-enzo-maresca-as-guardiola-era-ends-after-three-year-deal\/","og_site_name":"Zalebs","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ZAlebs","article_published_time":"2026-06-30T14:44:43+00:00","og_image":[{"width":571,"height":371,"url":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/man-city-hire-maresca-start-8e14.webp","type":"image\/webp"}],"author":"Zibuyile Dladla","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@Zalebs","twitter_site":"@Zalebs","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Zibuyile Dladla","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/man-city-appoint-enzo-maresca-as-guardiola-era-ends-after-three-year-deal\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/man-city-appoint-enzo-maresca-as-guardiola-era-ends-after-three-year-deal\/"},"author":{"name":"Zibuyile Dladla","@id":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/6da1a9a659a2b9fb37587bf050637d1e"},"headline":"Man City Appoint Enzo Maresca as Guardiola Era Ends After Three-Year Deal","datePublished":"2026-06-30T14:44:43+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/man-city-appoint-enzo-maresca-as-guardiola-era-ends-after-three-year-deal\/"},"wordCount":741,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/man-city-appoint-enzo-maresca-as-guardiola-era-ends-after-three-year-deal\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/man-city-hire-maresca-start-8e14.webp","articleSection":["Sports"],"inLanguage":"en-ZA","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/man-city-appoint-enzo-maresca-as-guardiola-era-ends-after-three-year-deal\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/man-city-appoint-enzo-maresca-as-guardiola-era-ends-after-three-year-deal\/","url":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/man-city-appoint-enzo-maresca-as-guardiola-era-ends-after-three-year-deal\/","name":"Man City Name Enzo Maresca: Guardiola Exit Confirmed","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/man-city-appoint-enzo-maresca-as-guardiola-era-ends-after-three-year-deal\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/man-city-appoint-enzo-maresca-as-guardiola-era-ends-after-three-year-deal\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/man-city-hire-maresca-start-8e14.webp","datePublished":"2026-06-30T14:44:43+00:00","description":"Pep Guardiola\u2019s era ends as Manchester City appoint Enzo Maresca on a three-year deal, starting a bold new chapter at the Etihad.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/man-city-appoint-enzo-maresca-as-guardiola-era-ends-after-three-year-deal\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-ZA","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/man-city-appoint-enzo-maresca-as-guardiola-era-ends-after-three-year-deal\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/man-city-appoint-enzo-maresca-as-guardiola-era-ends-after-three-year-deal\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/man-city-hire-maresca-start-8e14.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/man-city-hire-maresca-start-8e14.webp","width":571,"height":371},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/man-city-appoint-enzo-maresca-as-guardiola-era-ends-after-three-year-deal\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Zalebs","item":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Man City Appoint Enzo Maresca as Guardiola Era Ends After Three-Year Deal"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/#website","url":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/","name":"Zalebs","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-ZA"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/#organization","name":"Africa New Media Group","url":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/logo-new.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/logo-new.webp","width":350,"height":132,"caption":"Africa New Media Group"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ZAlebs","https:\/\/x.com\/Zalebs","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/zalebs","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@ZalebsEntertainment"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/6da1a9a659a2b9fb37587bf050637d1e","name":"Zibuyile Dladla","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1f581f0bb57ed4fd97eeb8353242d5a3c12548c2ff26373e9e5be1e00d4fad05?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1f581f0bb57ed4fd97eeb8353242d5a3c12548c2ff26373e9e5be1e00d4fad05?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1f581f0bb57ed4fd97eeb8353242d5a3c12548c2ff26373e9e5be1e00d4fad05?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Zibuyile Dladla"},"description":"Zibuyile began her media journey as a sales intern at Mediamark (Kagiso Media) before moving into digital content creation for ZAlebs.com. Over four years, she helped evolve the platform from a simple blog into one of South Africa\u2019s leading independent entertainment news sites. Following ZAlebs\u2019 transition to Celebrity Worx in 2016, Zibuyile was promoted to Executive Editor, recognized for her sharp audience insight and ability to match editorial with branded content. Highlights of her time include a Bookmark Award nomination, judging TLC\u2019s Next Great Presenter, reporting from the MTV EMAs, and building partnerships with radio stations like YFM, Cliff Central, and Good Hope FM. Her editorial work also expanded to include fast-growing digital verticals\u2014such as lifestyle tech, online entertainment, and gambling-related content\u2014tailored to evolving reader interests and brand opportunities.","sameAs":["https:\/\/za.linkedin.com\/in\/zibuyile-dladla-9a26628a"],"url":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/author\/zibuyile-dladla\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2461","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2461"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2461\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2460"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2461"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2461"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2461"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}