NAIROBI, Kenya, July 21- Immediate former Police FC coach Andre Kassa Mbugo is set to arrive in the country next week for talks with Kenyan Premier League side Bandari FC over taking reins at the club as their new head coach.
The Rwandese is one of the candidates listed by the Mombasa based club to fill the void left by veteran Twahir Muhiddin and speaking exclusively to Capital Sport from Kigali, Rwanda, the tactician, who coached Gor Mahia striker Jacques Tuyisenge in the Rwandese league looks forward to the Kenyan challenge.
“I have been following up on the Kenyan Premier League for a long time and I know how competitive and good it is. I have several friends in Kenya including Jacob ‘Ghost’ Mulee and the current FKF Technical Director Andreas Spier with whom we worked together with in Rwanda and so it won’t be much of an issue for me to get down to work,” Mbugo said.
“We have had preliminary talks with Bandari, but there wasn’t much and that is why I am coming to Kenya to have more talks. Possibly we can have a deal and I can work with them,” the Rwandese tactician added.
Bandari FC chairman Abdullahi Samatta, speaking to Capital Sport was tight lipped on the candidates for the job, but said they would be making an announcement soon.
“There are several candidates who have applied for the job. We will have a meeting later on and there after we can make an announcement as to who exactly we have picked,” Samatta said.
Muhiddin was sacked by the Dockers in May after a spate of unconvincing results and his assistant Ken Odhiambo was asked to step in on interim basis.
The club performed superbly last season, winning the GOtv Shield and managing a fourth place finish in the league, their highest ever.
The club though has failed to replicate the same performance this season, despite acquisition of top class players in January and this led to the sacking of the experienced Muhiddin.
-Redemption-
Bandari, placed 13th on the standings will hope the Rwandese, if called upon can salvage their season into a respectable finish.
“I have worked with good players and helped them to be greats like Jack (Tuyisenge). I believe I can work in the same way in Kenya and help make the league great as well as the players,” Mbugo said.
The former AS Kigali coach was relieved of his duties at Police after failing to win any silverware despite qualifying the side to this year’s CAF Confederation Cup.
The club seemed to have played out in a pattern similar to Bandari after dwindling to a trophy-less end to the season last month, despite having performed in exemplary fashion last year.
They won the domestic cup, known as the Peace Cup in Rwanda and qualified for the CAF Confederation Cup but were eliminated in the second round. The team also had the highest number of players in Rwanda’s squad for the African Nations Cup (CHAN) with Tuyisenge headlining the list.