Author: ISMAIL TANO
AfricaPress-Tanzania: AFTER parting ways with head coach Cedric Kaze and entire technical bench, Yanga’s leadership has vowed to dismiss any of the outfit’s players whose performance will be unconvincing.
The Burundian tactician was shown the exit door on Sunday alongside his backroom staff after their Vodacom Premier League match against Polisi Tanzania held in Arusha, which ended in a 1-1 draw.
Immediately after the match which took place at Sheikh Amri Abeid Kaluta Memorial Stadium, Yanga released a public notice saying they have gone separate ways with Kaze and his assistants.
Other members of the technical bench who have been relieved of their duties are assistant coach Nizar Khalfan, fitness coach Edem Mortotsi, goalkeeping coach Vladimir Niyonkuru and the club’s security officer Mussa Mahundi.
According to the club’s Chairman of the Technical Committee Dominick Albinus, the draw with Polisi Tanzania, coupled with the team’s first defeat of the season to Coastal Union last Thursday, forced the team’s management to crack the whip by offloading the entire technical bench.
He disclosed: “As you have seen, results stamped by the team were not convincing and the technical bench is the responsible department to deal with that, as such, the concerned sides came up with decision to let go the whole technical staff.”
“We expect to have new technical bench within one to two weeks and I believe that the incoming coach will have a bit of time to oversee his squad as the league is due to be paused to give way for the FIFA international break,” he said.
He said that they have communicated with players and informed them why the leadership took the decision to fire the technical bench.
“We told them (players) why we took the decision to fire the bench and it came about because the results were not good and if the trend continues, then the players will also be held accountable,” he said.
Albinus insisted that letting go of the coach and members of technical bench was one of the ways to solve challenges facing the club.
“It was an agreement amongst ourselves and everyone knew we needed to get good results but what we have been getting recently is discouraging,” Albinus said.
Kaze, who had only handled Yanga for five months, having replaced fired Serbian Zlatko Krmpotic, has taken to his social media pages to voice his pride in leaving the team in the first position on the top flight table.
He wrote: “It was a pleasure to work with you during these five months. Patience is virtue. 18 league games, 10 wins, seven draws and one loss.”
He stated: “Four games in Mapinduzi Cup tournament and we were the event’s winners. I leave Yanga on the first place and that is my pride. Wishing you all the best. This is just a goodbye.”
Kaze called on the Yanga management to have patience in their pursuit of the top flight title.
He left the team top of the table with 50 points from 23 games.
However, four draws and a defeat from last six games has seen them fail to widen the gap with age-old rivals Simba SC, who are second with 45 points from 19 games.
