DAR ES SALAAM: FORMER players have come up with mixed reactions, following early sackings of coaches in the unfolding Premier League season saying the syndrome usually has negative consequences on concerned teams.
This comes after Azam yesterday officially announced parting ways with coach Youssouph Dabo and his assistants he came with to the club since last year.
In the statement, it was also revealed that Azam management has already started procedures to get a new trainer, and that currently the team’s programmes will be under youth team coaches of the club.
The Chamazi-based side became the second Premier League club to go separate ways with their coach, after Coastal Union who allegedly let go Kenyan trainer, David Ouma.
Ouma missed the CAF Confederation Cup (CAF CC) return leg match against FC Bravos of Angola at Azam Complex in Dar es Salaam, and he was also absent when the Tanga club stamped a 1-1 draw against KMC in their first league opener of the campaign.
Speaking to the ‘Daily News’ yesterday, former Simba player and coach, Abdallah Kibaden said sacking coaches early in the league is not a good thing at all.
“When the new season begins, the coach who was with the team during pre-season is the one who knows his players fully, as such when he is sacked, you expect many challenges to follow.
“To make it worse, even his (Dabo’s) assistants have been removed, meaning that the team building will start afresh, which is not healthy, especially considering the fact that the new campaign has just started,” he said.
He urged Azam management to be cautious when searching for Dabo’s successor, insisting that if they are not watchful, the new coach will also not spend a long time at the helm of the club.
On his part, former Young Africans player, Abdallah Selemani ‘Kaburu’ reacted by saying that going separate ways with coaches early in the season is the toughest decision to make by any club.
“What Azam have done is not a good gesture in football, but at the same time we need to respect their decision because they are the ones who know exactly what they are doing.
“For me, I wish they could have given him some more league matches before coming up with the decision to release him…in football you are not guaranteed to register positive results all the time,” he said.
However, Dabo’s high achievement at Azam was witnessed last season when he propelled them to the second-place finish on the league log, a status that earned them a CAF Champions League (CAF CL) qualification.
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They however got eliminated in the said league, after suffering an aggregate 1-2 defeat from Rwanda’s side APR and to make it worse, Dabo’s first Premier League match of the season against JKT Tanzania elapsed in a barren draw.
Meanwhile, speculations are hot that Azam is in discussions with the incumbent Al Hilal coach Florent Ibenge for the possibility of securing his services as a coach at the club.
