Mfutila axed

APR Fc have sacked head coach Andy Mfutila with immediately effect but have remained tight-lipped on his replacement. The club Secretary General Maj. Alex Sabiti confirmed Mfutila’s sacking to Times Sport yesterday. “He (Mfutila) has been sacked, reason being, his contract expired (on January 14) and APR was not willing to renew it,” Maj. Sabiti said. Just to remind you, late last year, the same Sabiti told Times Sport how both Mfutila and his assistant Jean David Katotola Mukesa had been offered new one-year contracts, which if it was true would expire at the end of this year. Asked about his replacement, he said, “The issue concerning his replacement remains internal and at the moment nothing more can be added to that”.Efforts to contact Mfutila for his comment were futile as he could not pick his phone by press time. It all started last year when the senior club administrators released almost the entire squad that had just won an unprecedented quadruple in Mfutila’s first season in charge. The players who included Jimmy Gatete, Manfred Kizito, Jean Shyaka, Yousuf Kayihura, Patrick Mafisango, Vincent Kayizi, and Alimansi Kadogo, Pierre Mukandila, Jannot Witakenge and Joseph Bwalya, among other went to join other clubs here (in Rwanda) and in the region. And things became even more complicated for the Congolese born coach when the military side dropped points against lower oppositions in the local league. Then, the exit from the Caf Champions League at the hands of El Zamalek 4-1 on goal aggregate summed up Mfutila’s downfall as his bosses ran out of patience hence relieving him of his coaching duties. However, prior to the exit from the African Champions League, Mfutila sounded like a man who knew he wasn’t going to last long in his job. He admitted to going through a wrecked working relationship with his assistant (Katotola), a man he hand picked to be his assistant when he took over the military side in November 2006. During his time as Fc Lupopo coach, Mfutila knew a lot about Katotola who was then assistant coach at AC Matonge of DR Congo, so when the chance came to pick his own right-hand man, he immediately went for Katotola. As Mfutila clears his desk and plans for his next move, his former confidant, Katotola remains in charge, at least temporary.During his one and half years in charge, Mfutila bettered his predecessor Jean Marie Ntagwabira as the club’s most successful coach. The Congolese trainer steered the military side win the Cecafa/Kagame Cup, Primus league title, Amahoro Cup and Lotto Cup in his first season. He also guided the military side to the second round of the African Champions League where they were controversially eliminated by Togolese side Maranatha de Fiokopo. Ends

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Mfutila axed