•Haringingo has lately found himself isolated, always casting a forlorn figure in the dugout, bogged down by a string of pathetic results.
•As fate would have it, Sofapaka’s 2-1 defeat to Nairobi City Stars at Kasarani Annex on Saturday was the proverbial final straw that broke Haringingo’s back
Image: HANDOUT
Upon his arrival in the country last month, Francis Haringingo expressed confidence in halting Sofapaka’s 15-year title drought in the Kenyan Premier League.
The bespectacled bald gaffer beamed off a broad smile as the club unveiled him in an atmosphere full of optimism. ‘Batoto Ba Mungu’ had experienced a rough patch in the preceding season and were keen to turn around their fortunes, eager to replicate their title-winning exploits of 2009.
The club’s president Elly Kalekwa, who has heavily invested in the technical bench, strongly felt Haringingo possessed the ultimate panacea to their perennial ailment.
But Haringingo has lately found himself isolated, always casting a forlorn figure in the dugout, bogged down by a string of pathetic results.
On Sunday, the club finally cracked the whip on the hapless Rwandese gaffer following a torrid run this season that leaves them battling for survival at the tail-end of the log with a solitary point after five matches.
Signs that Haringingo’s goose was already cooked began showing when Kalekwa brought back former head coach Ezekiel Akwana to take up the role of an assistant coach. Barely a day later, the club confirmed Haringingo’s worst fears with a bombshell that his contract had been termimated.
As fate would have it, Sofapaka’s 2-1 defeat to Nairobi City Stars at Kasarani Annex on Saturday was the proverbial final straw that broke Haringingo’s back. The best Haringingo has offered the club thus far is the solitary point they earned from their hard-fought one-all draw against defending champions Gor Mahia in their season opener at Moi Stadium Kasarani.
A source at the club who sought anonymity said the former Rayon Sports tactician was given an ultimatum to secure maximum points against City Stars or face the axe. He settled for the latter.
Haringingo was informed of his fate on Saturday after their loss, given he failed to show up for a church service with the rest of the squad on Sunday, as is the tradition.
The development came a couple of days after Kenyan Premier League rivals Kenya Police FC also sent head coach Francis Baraza after a disastrous start to the season. Despite plunging vast resources into the past two transfer markets to assemble a talent-laden squad, the Police seemed clueless on the big boys’ stage.
The law enforcers unveiled Croat Zdravko Logarusic as their new head coach on Thursday to replace Baraza who left the side lurking in a precarious 16th position on the log with three points from four games. Logarusic was unveiled by the club chairman Nyale Munga at the Police Sacco Stadium on Thursday.
Logarusic, a former Gor Mahia and AFC Leopards gaffer pledged to steer the side to a maiden top-tier title this season. “We are not here for the top four. Rather, we intend to clinch the league,” Logarusic remarked. And true to his words, he wrung out a slim 1-0 win in his first assignment against Bidco United at the Police Sacco Stadium on Saturday.
The outcome has lifted Police to 11th on the log with six points from five league encounters. After being given a forced leave last week, Shabana FC head coach Sammy Okoth was handed an olive branch by the management to polish his act.
Okoth is credited with guiding the club back onto the top-flight stage after a 17-year absence but is yet to pick a win from four outings. He has registered two draws and a similar number of defeats that leave them second from the bottom of the KPL table.
Shabana’s ardent fan base, which only rivals AFC Leopards and Gor Mahia in size, is growing increasingly impatient, and there is already a strong and consistent clamour calling for the coach to resign.
Interestingly, on Sunday, Okoth flexed muscles with his counterpart Tom Juma who is equally attempting to find ways of placating a hostile fan base that has been relentlessly baying for his blood, owing to unsatisfactory results.
There was an exciting twist to the match that saw the 7,500-capacity Ulinzi Complex filled to the brim by partisan crowds rooting for both sides. The game ended in a one-all draw, severely jeopardizing the careers of the two tacticians.
Juma, an ex-Kenyan international has continuously found himself under the pump even as his charges find themselves in an unfamiliar 15th spot on the log after registering three draws and a loss this season.
The club’s top brass had to release a statement a fortnight ago, appealing for patience as the coach gropes for the elusive win. Leopards have gone without a top-tier title for two decades.
Meanwhile, Posta Rangers continued their excellent run to open a four-point gap at the summit with 13 points from five games.
Their latest performance was a 1-0 win over Kariobangi Sharks at Kasarani Annex on Sunday. The worst performance the coach John Kamau-tutored mailmen have recorded this season is a draw. They are followed closely by the tournament’s dark horse Murang’a Seal who have asserted authority in their maiden appearance after stunning seasoned opponents.
Ulinzi head coach Anthony ‘Modo’ Kimani must also be a worried man after his charges were condemned to their fourth loss of the season by league minnows Muhoroni Youth on Saturday.
The 1-0 defeat left the soldiers in the yellow zone at position 15 with a party of three points from five encounters.
Equally concerned is the recently appointed KCB head coach Bernard Mwalala, who has been blowing hot and cold since his appointment at the start of the season.
The immediate former Ulinzi Stars gaffer arrived at the club with a firm resolve to steer them to their maiden topflight title but his run thus far leaves a lot to be desired. He struggled to squeeze out a point in their one-all draw against Gor Mahia at Nyayo stadium on Sunday, the outcome leaving them sixth on the log with seven points.