My husband Zapata is a performer — model wife

Former AFC Leopards coach Rodolfo Zapata and his wife Alejandra Moraco [Courtesy]

The elegant Alejandra Moraco has been a permanent fixture in most high-voltage matches featuring AFC Leopards.

The gorgeous super model is the wife of out-of-favour AFC Leopards coach Rodolfo Zapata. 

Moraco a model, actress, successful businesswoman, fashionista, and of course a defender of her husband Zapata. Zapata no doubt needed a defender; a shoulder to lay his head after AFC Leopards decided to shake hands with the Argentine tactician.

She has every right to defend her husband; she has been there throughout, seeing her husband braving the heat, traffic and fans demanding selfies, to try and improve the lot of AFC. 

Moraco has been a permanent fixture in most high-voltage matches featuring AFC Leopards [Courtesy]

“My husband is a performer,” The beauty queen told The Nairobian.

She added that: “He did his best on and off the pitch for the team. I’m so proud that he  took this club from the middle of the table to top-four within four months, although the club’s position dropped after his sacking.” The former ballet dancer was optimistic: “I’m sure that with these players and a consistent programme, this team will be back to the glory days soon.”

Alejandra says that her husband coach Zapata is a man of a kind. A man who never losses focus on whatever he does until he succeeds. A man who wants the best for everyone.

“He has a unique ability to transform groups of people and organisations quickly in order to achieve peak performance levels in a very short period of time; and that’s what he has done for AFC Leopards,” she gushed. 

“He did his best on and off the pitch for the team. I’m so proud that he took this club from the middle of the table to top-four within four months [Courtesy]

She became a movie star at 14 yearsAlejandra, the super-model, who at the age of 14 starred in Argentine movie ‘Evita, quien quiera oír que oiga’- which described the life of Argentine political leader Eva Perón - is her husband’s number one fan. She explains that her role is to provide moral support to the coach at all times. 
“At home, he is not coach Zapata. His nickname is ‘Rolo.’ He has my full support because he is not like any other football coach. He is training people to be successful in football, and in their personal lives,” she said.

“During our free time, we enjoy watching movies and catching up on our favourite Netflix shows. We also love to visit restaurants and shopping malls. Valentino, Tom Ford, Cavalli, Hermes, Chanel and Custo Barcelona, are some of our favourite stores abroad. Locally, we love hanging around Yaya Centre and The Junction mall,” she said, adding that: “I’ve also enjoyed my time in Kakamega, Kisumu and Nakuru during matches.”

Alejandra and her husband have travelled the world and visited countries like USA, South Africa, Nigeria, Canada, Botswana and lately Kenya of course. She admits that the Kenyan Premier League is one of the most unique leagues, with a lot of surprises.

“Kenyan Premier League is quite unpredictable! I would love to see the country’s football being part of the Big 5 in Africa,” she said.

Having keenly watched AFC Leopards play while supporting her husband, the movie star says she loves all the club’s players, but singles out 10 of them for special recognition:

“I love all the players, from the experienced ones like Ezekiel Odera, Whyvonne Isuza, Robinson Kamura, Abdalla Shitu, Victor Majid and Duncan Otieno, to the future stars like Jaffery Owiti, Marvin Nabwire, Ezekiel Owade and Brian Marita.” 

Alejandra says she gets anxious when AFC Leopards play and never wants the team to lose, and that she gets super excited and over the moon when they win.  
“As an AFC Leopards fan, I always wanted to win every single game and felt depressed when things didn’t go our way. People should understand that there are no miracles in football. AFC Leopards fans should continue being optimistic, because the future is bright,” she said.

The Argentine coach took over the mantle at AFC Leopards five months ago. He left the club recently and bid the players goodbye. 

In a statement published on the club’s website, secretary general Oscar Igaida said the Argentine tactician never met the targets set for him at the time of appointment, leading to his dismissal.

“I would like to state herein that at the beginning of the season, we set targets for the head coach, but we failed to achieve them. ” the statement stated.

+The decision to sack the coach was made after Ingwe blew their FKF Shield title dream following their 1-0 loss to Sofapaka in the semifinals.

The FKF Shield was one of the targets for the coach, others being second-position finish in the SportPesa Premier League and making it to the group stages of the Caf Confederation Cup - all which were never met, the statement detailed.

The club is currently looking for a new coach to take charge of the den.