Sofapaka are set to appoint Sam Ssibwa as head coach.PHOTO/courtesy
NAIROBI, Kenya, Nov 22- After miraculously surviving relegation, Sofapaka are set to appoint Ugandan Sam Ssimbwa for a second stint at the club, having previously worked with Batoto ba Mungu between 2009 and 2010.
Sofapaka president Elly Kalekwa has confirmed they have finalized talks with the tactician who has been in the country and watched Sofapaka’s last week of training before their miraculous escape from relegation.
“Ssimbwa is a person close to this club. When he was here, we disagreed on some matters, not related to performance but he apologized and we buried the hatchet. He is a coach who understands the team and we know he will take us back to the top,”
“We have had discussions with him and agreed on virtually everything. We are just waiting for the finer details to be set in place then we make his appointment official,” Kalekwa told Capital Sport.
Ssimbwa is serving an eight month ban from the Federation of Ugandan Football Associations (FUFA) for violation of its Regulations.
The FUFA Ethics committee slapped Ssimbwa with the ban in August ruling he conducted himself in an unethical manner and uttered statements that jeopardized the authenticity of results and integrity of matches as coach of KCCA FC.
Having spent 88 days already provisionally suspended, FUFA counted it as part of the ban and hence the period was reduced to five months, ending in December.
The tactician who coached the Somali national team, Express and Police FC in Uganda before joining KCCA is expected to start work at the club in January.
Meanwhile, Kalekwa has confirmed John Baraza will remain at the club as assistant coach, disclosing they are prepared to sponsor the former Kenyan international for advanced coaching courses to further his knowledge.
“Baraza is a man who has been with us for a very long time. He won the league with us in 2009, has won the golden boot three times and now here he is, saving us from relegation. He is part and parcel of this club and if an opportunity comes for him to further his coaching credentials, as a club we will sponsor that,” Kalekwa said.
After spending most of the season dwindling in the bottom of the log, Sofapaka pulled a miraculous escape with a final day 5-1 win over Thika United, coupled with a 3-1 loss for Ushuru FC at the hands of Posta Rangers.
Kalekwa has also confirmed they will seek to maintain the same team that saved them from relegation, but confirmed they will make quality additions as they seek better performance in 2017.
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