Zapata is tactically inept, says official

AFC Leopards' Executive Committee is set to hold an emergency meeting on Friday with embattled coach Rodolfo Zapata, whom they believe has lost control of the dressing room.

The Argentine replaced interim coach Dennis Kitambi in April and despite posting 13 wins, five draws and seven defeats in 25 competitive matches so far, his fate seems to have been sealed a while back.

“He shot himself in the foot by ignoring his technical bench and favouring certain players from day one,” a senior official who sought anonymity, told Nation Sport

According to the official, the former Gaborone United coach is tactically inept with his rigid decisions leaving the dressing room divided.

“It will be difficult for him to survive, if your own players revolt against you, the bench is split, we can’t work this way,” added the official.

Zapata has had unending battles on the touchline with fans throwing all sorts of vulgar abuses from the stands in recent matches where Ingwe posted poor results.

He was accosted by fans after the 2-1 defeat to rivals Gor Mahia on July 22 at Kasarani stadium and last Sunday's SportPesa Shield semi-final loss at the hands of Sofapaka.

The angry fans demanded he resign after the 4-0 humiliation by Tusker in Machakos on Wednesday, but their calls fell on deaf ears.

A section of players have also expressed displeasure in the 52-year-old’s character.

“He makes independent decisions and only trains 11 players the entire week, the rest of the players are handled by the assistant coach (Tom Juma) and team manager (Gilbert Selebwa),” claimed one of the players.

When contacted, Zapata, whose charges sit third on the 18-team log with 51 points, said he has given chances to all his 31 players and is willing to stay on and end the team’s 20-year-wait for the title.

“Everybody does their job in their own position,” offered Zapata, when asked about neglecting his technical bench members.

He added: “I will give a report and the NEC will decide what’s better for the club, if they think that the coach is the problem, it’s okay but then, it’s hard to change 20 years of history within five months.

"We need a proper plan and patience. Remember I took the team in the middle of the season with players whom coach Matano (Robert) signed and they responded positively in the beginning, but now there’s an attitude problem.”

The 13-time champions visit Ulinzi Stars before hosting Nzoia Sugar in their remaining two games of the season.