Akan drops FC AK

ALI Akan dropped a bombshell when he resigned as coach of South African First Division side FC AK this week, citing managerial interference.

The announcement came a day ahead of FC AK’s most important match of the season – the final First Division playoffs over two legs against Bay United, with the winner to gain promotion to the South African PSL next season. The first leg of the playoffs took place on Wednesday and ended in a goalless draw in Port Elizabeth.The return leg takes place at FC AK’s home ground at Eldorado Park on Sunday.When contacted by Namibia Sport, Akan said he could not take the interference of FC AK’s new chairman Zukile Nomvete any more and had tendered his resignation.”We have done a great job to reach the final and now all of a sudden they have appointed a new chairman who knows nothing about football.He wants to appoint his own team but he is mentally sick and he wants to show that he is the man in charge.I cannot work like this and I have my principles.I am the coach and I cannot be anybody’s puppet,” he said.Akan said that besides some other changes to the team, the Namibian duo of Costa Khaiseb and defender Ivan Namaseb were supposed to be in the team, but to his surprise they were left out.”Ivan missed last week’s match against Dynamos through injury, but he has recovered and he was supposed to play with Costa.But to my surprise, they have both been left out,” he said.Winger Freedom Puriza is now the only remaining Namibian player in the squad after Akan had assembled five Namibian players at a stage.Midfielder Rudi Louw and goalkeeper Arnold Subeb have returned to Namibia while another midfielder Dumisa Jantze has gone to Angola for trials.FC AK has appointed Thomas Kojo as caretaker coach.CONTROVERSIAL FC AK’s season has been highly controversial and they nearly did not make it to the playoffs.In a bribery and corruption case, the disciplinary committee of the PSL originally banished FC AK to the Vodacom Second Division and banished their owner Azziz Kara from football for life after finding them guilty of fixing a match.An arbitration board on appeal, however, upheld the guilty verdict against FC AK but reinstated them at the top of the First Division Inland Stream, allowing them to contest the First Division playoffs.Kara and the club were each fined R500 000, with half the club’s fine suspended for five years, while Kara’s ban was reduced from the life term applied in the Safa Appeals Board hearing to 10 years.In the first play-off match FC AK lost 3-1 on aggregate to Maritzburg United, but then gained a second chance at promotion against Dynamos.FC AK beat Dynamos 2-1 on aggregate over two legs to qualify for the last play-off match against Bay United.SUPPORT Akan said he had received five offers from first division clubs in South Africa and would now take his time before making a decision.Akan said he would also consider returning to coach in Namibia although he had not received any offers.He added his voice to those saying that a local Namibian coach should be appointed to take charge of the Brave Warriors.”If I receive an offer, I will consider it because I know the players.Namibia had an easy group and we have quality players but they didn’t play good football.We have had so many foreign coaches, from Ted Dumitru and Professor Ngubane to Ben Bamfuchile and Arie Schans, but I don’t think they are much better and they didn’t show anything new.I am supporting the local coaches because I think it makes more sense within the Namibian context and its realities,” he said.Namibia SportThe first leg of the playoffs took place on Wednesday and ended in a goalless draw in Port Elizabeth.The return leg takes place at FC AK’s home ground at Eldorado Park on Sunday.When contacted by Namibia Sport, Akan said he could not take the interference of FC AK’s new chairman Zukile Nomvete any more and had tendered his resignation.”We have done a great job to reach the final and now all of a sudden they have appointed a new chairman who knows nothing about football.He wants to appoint his own team but he is mentally sick and he wants to show that he is the man in charge.I cannot work like this and I have my principles.I am the coach and I cannot be anybody’s puppet,” he said.Akan said that besides some other changes to the team, the Namibian duo of Costa Khaiseb and defender Ivan Namaseb were supposed to be in the team, but to his surprise they were left out.”Ivan missed last week’s match against Dynamos through injury, but he has recovered and he was supposed to play with Costa.But to my surprise, they have both been left out,” he said.Winger Freedom Puriza is now the only remaining Namibian player in the squad after Akan had assembled five Namibian players at a stage.Midfielder Rudi Louw and goalkeeper Arnold Subeb have returned to Namibia while another midfielder Dumisa Jantze has gone to Angola for trials.FC AK has appointed Thomas Kojo as caretaker coach.CONTROVERSIAL FC AK’s season has been highly controversial and they nearly did not make it to the playoffs.In a bribery and corruption case, the disciplinary committee of the PSL originally banished FC AK to the Vodacom Second Division and banished their owner Azziz Kara from football for life after finding them guilty of fixing a match.An arbitration board on appeal, however, upheld the guilty verdict against FC AK but reinstated them at the top of the First Division Inland Stream, allowing them to contest the First Division playoffs.Kara and the club were each fined R500 000, with half the club’s fine suspended for five years, while Kara’s ban was reduced from the life term applied in the Safa Appeals Board hearing to 10 years.In the first play-off match FC AK lost 3-1 on aggregate to Maritzburg United, but then gained a second chance at promotion against Dynamos.FC AK beat Dynamos 2-1 on aggregate over two legs to qualify for the last play-off match against Bay United.SUPPORT Akan said he had received five offers from first division clubs in South Africa and would now take his time before making a decision.Akan said he would also consider returning to coach in Namibia although he had not received any offers.He added his voice to those saying that a local Namibian coach should be appointed to take charge of the Brave Warriors.”If I receive an offer, I will consider it because I know the players.Namibia had an easy group and we have quality players but they didn’t play good football.We have had so many foreign coaches, from Ted Dumitru and Professor Ngubane to Ben Bamfuchile and Arie Schans, but I don’t think they are much better and they didn’t show anything new.I am supporting the local coaches because I think it makes more sense within the Namibian context and its realities,” he said.Namibia Sport