AFC Leopards pour cold water on Kiyovu’s deal with Aussems

Kenyan football team, AFC Leopard have announced that they will keep Patrick Aussems as their head coach for the 2022/23 campaign, which signals an end to SC Kiyovu’s pursuit of the Belgian tactician. AFC Leopards Secretary General, Gilbert Andugu, in an interview with The Citizen, a Kenyan Broadcaster confirmed that they held talks with Aussems and that the coach has committed his future to the club. “Aussems will be our head coach next season. He already has a flight ticket to Kenya, and we will be releasing a timeline for our preseason in a few days,” Andungu said. The development comes just days after local side, SC Kiyovu, announced they had reached an agreement with Aussems and would ‘soon’ sign a three-year contract. Although AFC Leopards is confident of keeping their head coach, Kiyovu Sports Secretary General Omar Munyengabe, said that the club is still hopeful of signing the Belgian. “As we have said before, we have had positive conversations with Aussems but we didn’t say that we had signed him, so for now we still have the same feeling and the discussions are still ongoing” Munyengabe told Times Sport. He added “We have a long list of coaches who applied for this position, so if he decides to stay in Kenya, we will choose someone else and it will not take long because the new season is about to start.” Munyengabe further dismissed any possibility that The Green Baggies will appoint a local head coach. Kiyovu, who were the most successful club in the country before 1993, finished second in the league last season. Burundian manager Francis Haringingo who guided the club to their best league finish in a long time left the club for rivals Rayon Sports.