Police FC are enduring arguably the worst start to the league season as the club struggles for form under new head coach Vincent Mashami with the under fire tactician yet to register a win in the 2022/23 Rwanda Premier League.
Mashami was appointed as head coach of the law enforcers in July, five months after he was axed from coaching the national team, a role that was later taken over by Spanish Carlos Alos Ferrer.
The club management sacked Francis Nuttal at the end of the season and replaced him with the former APR FC and Bugesera tactician, thinking that he would finally turn their club into title contenders.
The 40-year-old was tasked to build a winning team after joining Police FC but the club has struggled for form and is the only team in the top flight division that hasn’t registered a goal so far.
Defeat against Gasogi United on Sunday at Kigali Stadium extended the club’s winless run to three consecutive defeats, dropping to the bottom of the table without a single point out of a possible nine.
Mashami now faces the sack any time unless he turns results around when his side face APR FC over the weekend in a match that could decide his future at the club.
Blame players
It’s common that the coaches are responsible for the club’s performance, bad or good, and end up being sacked as a result.
But football pundit Eric Nsabimana thinks players should be blamed for the club’s current poor performance and suggests they should start fighting for Mashami and show character during upcoming fixtures if the club is to return to winning ways.
"The players are to blame because they lack concentration and confidence on the pitch...they don’t really fight for the coach. They should start evaluating their performance otherwise the administration should start taking serious measures against those who act recklessly,” Nsabimana claimed.
Times Sport understands that the club players held a meeting after losing 2-0 to Gasogi United on Sunday, to discuss a way forward to overcome their poor form.
With Police now joint bottom on the league table with zero points, Mashami and his men will be looking to impress during their next matches.
Polices’s next five fixtures: APR, Bugesera, Etincelles, Rwamagana, and Marines