Former AFC Leopards midfielder Charles Okwmba has questioned the credentials of Ingwe new coach Tomas Trucha who he does not feel will lead them to success
Former AFC Leopards midfielder Charles Okwemba does not believe Ingwe’s new coach Tomas Trucha has what it takes to make the club successful.
Former Leopards coach Trucha has returned to the club following the sacking of club legend Tom Juma after failing to win any of his six league matches in charge.
Following his dismissal, Juma blamed ‘cartels’ at the club for making his job difficult by signing players without his blessings and Okwemba feels the problems at the den are deep-rooted which will make the new coach’s job difficult.
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“I am not 100 per cent sure what they are doing is right for the club because Tom Juma has been there for six matches, got some draws, lost one and then he was gone,” Okwemba told Citizen TV on Monday.
“I cannot bet on him (Trucha) being able to succeed at AFC Leopards at this particular time bearing in mind what is surrounding the club.
“Tom Juma talking about cartels being there must be something that is existing and I do not think it is a made-up story. It is the club that needs to find out who are these cartels and what role are they playing towards making Leopards a better club or if they are messing up.”
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Okwemba, who turned up for Leopards for over seven years, also feels the club’s problems are self-inflicted since the management keep repeating the same mistakes.
“AFC Leopards have a lot of challenges but I am not so sure they know what their challenges are. Why, because for some years, they keep repeating the same things, expecting different results which does not happen. So, they first of all need to identify what their problems are,” he added.
“Leopards is a club that keeps changing coaches every now and then so it becomes very difficult to get the continuity. If you keen changing the coaches, the players will keep changing and this is not very good. They need to find out the root cause and shouldn’t be afraid of starting all over again.”
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With Trucha walking into a mess, Okwemba doubts the Czech national has the credentials to make Leopards great again. The tactician, who handled Leopards briefly in late 2020 before quitting in a huff citing threats to his life, was until April this year coaching Malaysian side Kelantan United who he left after three months.
“He is a guy whose track record is very questionable, he is just coming from a club that is languishing at the bottom of the Malaysian league. I bet the chairman knows him better than I do but his track record is a bit questionable,” Okwemba said of Trucha’s stint at Kelantan United, who are currently 12th on the 14-team table in Malaysia.
“The chairman talks very well of Tom Juma, all those (good qualities). I think they just yielded to the pressure of the fans to sack him. Sometimes it beats logic the way we expect very quick results. In football for you to build something, you need time on your side.
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“There was a lot of outcry about Juma being sacked and I do not think it is healthy, anything good takes time. I do not think they gave him time.”
Trucha’s first assignment back at the den will be a league match away to Bandari on October 22.