Luc Eymael reveals major reason for AFC Leopards' 26-year league title drought

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Luc Eymael reveals major reason for AFC Leopards' 26-year league title drought

Festus Chuma 19:34 - 08.06.2024

Former AFC Leopards head coach has outlined key factors to end the team's long-standing trophy drought in the FKF Premier League.

Former AFC Leopards head coach Luc Eymael has disclosed key strategies that could potentially guide the club to dispel the persistent 'dark cloud' of missed titles.

Having not clinched the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) Premier League trophy in over two decades, Ingwe finds itself in a continuous struggle to reach the pinnacle of Kenyan football.

Eymael, who managed the team during the 2013 season, expressed his insights after AFC Leopards' hopes for silverware this season ended abruptly in the semifinals of the FKF Cup.

“AFC Leopards have a coach; I think they should be happy with the coach, I think the coach wants to go into the transfer market and get new players, and reinforce the squad, so it is not time to make changes, it is time to look at continuity in all aspects and see how far they can go in the new season,” Eymael remarked as per SportsBoom.com.

The Belgian gaffer's advice comes against the backdrop of Ingwe's less-than-ideal league campaign where they started with seven matches without a win.

This rocky start plunged the team into the relegation zone mid-season, leading to the dismissal of coach Tom Juma.

Tomas Trucha's subsequent appointment saw a turnaround pulling the team to a respectable sixth place with three games to go till the end of the season.

Eymael emphasizes the importance of stability and patience in the quest for success.

"For AFC Leopards, I can say it is difficult to bring back those glory days to the team, but what can you do if you want to keep changing coaches, it is not easy but when you are in such institutions (as the management) you must keep the trust to bring back the glory days by sticking with what you have, and trusting in the process, that is your job, and you have to do it," he added.

The Belgian coach's tenure at AFC Leopards was short but impactful, helping them from the brink of relegation to a second-place finish and a ticket to the 2014 CAF Confederation Cup.

Eymael's experience across Africa, having coached in countries including Rwanda, Tunisia, and South Africa, underpins his views on the broader challenges faced by football clubs on the continent.

“Not only AFC Leopards, I am sorry to say most teams in Africa don’t give coaches enough time to implement their visions or what they want to bring to the team, or even allow the coaches to instill their winning philosophy on players and things like that, and to me it is affected most of the African teams,” Eymael explained.

His journey in African football, coupled with holding a UEFA Pro License, has given him a unique perspective on coaching, which includes nurturing talents like Eden Hazard and Christian Benteke during their formative years.

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