Coaches come, go away in their dozens, Kenyan way

Not even the allure of lining up against top English Premier League side Everton was enough to keep Brazilian coach Jose Marcelo Ferreira at Gor Mahia.

The Brazilian trainer quit in a huff 10 days ago, a month before the Kenyan giants face the accomplished English club in a historic fixture.

This match is slated for the Tanzanian capital Dar on July 13.

Interesting to note however, is that some 48 hours after dumping Gor, Ferreira aka Ze Maria, was unveiled as first team coach at Albanian club FK Tirana.

It is easy to conclude that the ex-Brazil international, whose playing career saw him turn out for top European clubs including Italy’s Inter Milan had been lured off the Kenyan territory by a better offer.

Meanwhile, Gor Mahia’s arch-rivals are in a similar situation.

Englishman Stewart Hall quit the club last month “for personal reasons” after only six months at the helm.

The former Azam FC (Tanzania) coach was immediately replaced by Romanian Dorian Marin, who curiously, was only in charge for 13 days, and two matches before the club parted ways with him.

Leopards secretary general Oscar Igaida said that the Romanian wasn’t the right man to lead the team.

Ex-Kenya international Tom Juma is now at the helm.

And this is where it gets interesting.

Hall replaced Belgian Ivan Minnaert who led the team for less than a year.

Minnaert meanwhile, was brought in to take over from Dutchman Pieter de Jongh who caused a furore over his departure after the club management forced him out of the show six months after hiring him. 

Going further back, Jan Koops, Zdravko Logarusic and Luc Eymael, are other foreign coaches who have handled Leopards at some point in the last five years.

Not that Gor have fared any better. K’Ogalo’s management have also hired foreigners Frank Nuttal, Bobby Williamson, Zdravko Logarusic and Anaba Awono in the last four and a half years.

Neither of the aforementioned was in charge for two years.

Which begs the question,  is the SportPesa Premier League fast becoming a testing ground of “coaches” from around the world, some with suspected dubious qualifications, and most of all,  who don’t seem to own any long term plans of developing the Kenyan game?

“It’s seems like coaches come here to build their CV, and leave immediately they receive better offers. While here, they are treated as Kings but they really don’t consider that when about to leave,” former Football Kenya Federation technical director and renowned coach Patrick Naggi said.

While at it, it is interesting to note that a majority of the foreign coaches who come to Kenya boast no tangible track record, and leave without much fanfare or recognition.

What’s more, not only does their success record and legacy in Kenya remain questionable, but their consequent stints elsewhere remain brief. 

Case in point, Logarusic has since leaving Gor in 2012, managed Simba SC (Tanzania), Interclube (Angola) and Asante Kotoko (Ghana).

Nuttal has in the past year had a short stint at Zamalek (Egypt) as assistant coach before settling in at top Ghana club Hearts of Oak where he is currently based. Eymael, meanwhile, has had the busiest journey since parting ways with Leopards three years ago. 

He immediately moved over to Rayon Sports (Rwanda), before taking up jobs at JS Kairouan (Tunisia), Al Nasr (Oman), El Merriekh (Sudan) and Polokwane City (South Africa) in that order. 

Football Kenya Federation president Nick Mwendwa, who has hired a local coach both for the national football team and at his top flight club Kariobangi Sharks, has advised Kenyan teams to have faith in home expertise.
“We need to have faith in our own. The federation keeps doing its part by organising several coaching course to enrich their knowledge. I don’t have a particular problem with foreign coaches, I only seek to ensure that the locals have a say as well,” Mwendwa said.