Sofapaka new head coach Dasilva Alves is welcomed to the team’s training ground at Eastleigh High School by president Elly Kalekwa on August 8, 2019. PHOTO/Timothy Olobulu
NAIROBI, Kenya, Aug 8 – Sofapaka the 2009 Kenyan Premier League champions have settled on Angolan-born Portuguese coach Divaldo Alves as the new coach, coming in for a period of one renewable year.
Alves arrived in the country on Wednesday night and attended the final half hour of the club’s training session at the Eastleigh High School on Thursday morning. He will also watch the team’s friendly match against Naivas FC on Friday before officially taking over next week.
“I am happy to be here. It is my first time coaching a team in Africa but I have done several clinics around the continent in Angola, South Africa and Algeria. I am looking forward to this challenge. I have been coaching for the last 27 years and so the experience has been quite immense,” Alves told Capital Sport on Thursday.
Alves was born in Angola but spent much of his life in Portugal where he also played for Sporting Lisbon at the age of 17. He however had to cut short his playing career after picking up a knee injury.
Sofapaka new head coach Dasilva Alves talks to the players during their first meeting at the Eastleigh High School training ground on August 8, 2019. PHOTO/Timothy Olobulu
He has worked in Indonesia, Malaysia, Lithuania and Oman. His last engagement was with Muscat Club in Oman where he worked from 2015 to 2018.
“I have looked at the team train today and I am quite impressed with the technical ability of the players. Of course there are a few mistakes that we have to change and its normal in football. I am an attacking coach and this is the kind of football I would like to apply in the team,” stated the coach.
“I know they have not won the league since 2009, they have not won a trophy since 2014 but I promise that we will work very hard and we will bleed on the pitch to ensure we get something for the club,” stated the coach.
Club president Elly Kalekwa is confident that the Portuguese tactician will fit into the team and bring the much needed hunger for trophies to an end.
Sofapaka new head coach Dasilva Alves with his new assistants John baraza and Mshagalusha Ndagano as well as club President Elly Kalekwa at the Eastleigh High School training ground on August 8, 2019. PHOTO/Timothy Olobulu
“He is a man that I am certain will succeed at the club. We will give him all the support we need and the expectation from us is definitely to win trophies. That’s all we want. When you finish third, definitely, the next thing you want is a trophy,” Kalekwa told Capital Sport.
John Baraza who held on as coach last season will deputize the Portuguese alongside Mshagalusha Ndagano. The team is also set to welcome in five new foreign based players by Monday next week.
