AFC coach Kovazovic set for Free State Stars

Secretary General AFC Leopards Oscar Igaida presides over the unveiling New team Coach Nikola Kavazovic at AFC office in Nairobi. [Jonah Onyango, Standard]

AFC Leopards could be going back to the market to hunt for a new coach if reports on their current coach Nikola Kavazovic are anything to go by.

The Serbian, who left the country on Sunday under unclear circumstances, a week to the kickoff of the 2018/2019 SportPesa Premier League season, has been tipped as a front runner in the race to succeed Luc Eymael at South Africa’s Premier Soccer League side Free State Stars.

But Leopards’ Secretary General Oscar Igaida has termed the reports baseless, insisting they only gave the former Botswana’s Township Rollers’ coach permission to go to attend to ‘a family matter’ and not to engage another club.

Kavazovic, who was handed a two-year contract alongside his assistant Marko Vasilejevic as Rodolfo Zapata’s replacement last month, was conspicuously missing during Ingwe’s  2-1 pre-season friendly match win over Premier League rivals Ulinzi Stars at Hope Centre, Kawangware on Saturday.

Unconfirmed reports indicate that the Serbian had fallen out with a section of Leopards’ National Executive Committee over the release of Zambian winger Shadreck Chimanya after he failed to impress the coach barely two weeks after joining the den.

This allegedly prompted Kavazovic to take an indefinite leave of absence.

And with the current situation, Leopards will start their campaign on Sunday against Kariobangi Sharks under the guidance of Vasilejevic and Operations Manager Tom Juma. Vasilejevic is expected in the country on Saturday morning after his final Uefa licence “C” exams.  

“Marko is arriving on Saturday morning, to take charge of the team until the head coach returns. That’s our position as the club,” Igaida told Standard Sports.

“Though we didn’t give Nikola an ultimatum, we are in constant touch with him. He has not informed us of any plans to coach another club.

“Actually, he has been sending training programmes to Tom Juma so threat everything as rumours.”