13 times Kenya Premier League ( KPL ) champions Tusker Fc have fired head coach Charles Okere on Tuesday, coming after last Saturday's 3-1 thrashing by Mathare United at the Police Sacco in Nairobi.
Confirming the news via a statement sent on social media, Okere, who was appointed to his position during the 2017/2018 season, has not lived up to expectations despite his youthful approach to matters coaching and having grown at the club from coaching the youth ranks to the senior team, starting out as an assistant coach, up to the head coach role.
"It has been a journey of growth, resilience, and an immense learning experience. Coming from the youth ranks, I am deeply grateful to everyone who walked this path with me. I wish this club nothing but success, " Okere said via a statement.
Okere's sacking is the latest in the Kenya Premier League ( KPL ) which so far has seen six coaches being fired, two resigning, while there are rumours of some being cautioned as their jobs are at risk heading to match day 21.
Despite Kenya's sporting economic hardships, clubs like 21-time league champions Gor Mahia, ninth-placed Tusker, seventh-placed Kenya Commercial Bank ( KCB ), 14th-placed Ulinzi, position 13 Mara Sugar, defending champions Kenya Police, who are sixth and Bandari at eight have a financial budget, but some have experienced a rollercoaster of wanting results.
KPL's first casualty was Bandari's Ken Odhiambo in late September last year, but his predecessor, Mohammed Borji from Morocco, was also sacked after only three months into his appointment, leaving the club with no choice, but to chase the signature of another former coach, Bernard Mwalala, who at the time was an assistant to Peter Okidi in Gusii's Shabana.
Former Gormahia assistant coach Michael Nam, who began this new season with promoted side APS Bomet, only to find the going tough after his first three games, sadly, he did not last past his fourth game last year in October, the same month that also saw Ulinzi stars unleash a merciless dagger to slice off veteran tactician Dunstan Nyaudo.
It has been rumoured that cash-strapped, Elly Kalekwa's Sofapaka has not paid it's playing staff for more than four months now and in early February this year, tactician Ezekiel Akwana was shown the door, but before that defending champions Kenya Police had done the same to Burundian, Ettiene Ndayiragije and offered the chance to a Serbian, Dojan Stankovic who also failed to advance past the CAF champions league and was fired for the same reasons as the Burundian.
Former Nairobi United's Nicholas Muyoti, a National Super League ( NSL ) winning coach who also bagged in the shield Cup during his time there, resigned for undisclosed reasons, heading to defending champions Kenya Police, while Sammy Omollo also did the same and decamped from Posta Rangers to Aps Bomet.
KPL might not be as financially attractive as our neighbours Tanzania's first-tier football league, which also has a massive fan base and following. Still, surely, the club's bosses want nothing but to win, with some just to stay afloat and avoid relegation. In contrast, some want nothing but glory and CAF Champions League football. It's high time that the Football Kenya Federation ( FKF ) took notice of the intensity and now should start thinking of how to generate financial resources for the league, the clubs and, most importantly, the players.
