Saintfiet responds to his sacking

NEWLY appointed coach of the Brave Warriors, Tom Saintfiet said he was sacked at his former Finish Premier League club, Rovaniemen Palloseura (RoPS), because he did not have the same vision as the general director of the club on player selection.

Saintfiet, a 35-year old Belgian who was confirmed as the head coach of the Brave Warriors this week, replied via electronic mail from Finland yesterday that he was given the boot like any other coach as he differed with certain decisions by his bosses. ” Yes, that’s true,” he said on the question of whether he was fired.He explained: ” First of all there are two kind of coaches in the football world, coaches who are sacked and coaches who will become sacked.That’s part of the job and only ‘puppets on a string’ never get never, people with vision and ideas get sometimes sacked.No problem.”He said the only problem was that the general director of the club and himself did not have the same football vision about players who had to play in the team.”He decided to sack me and then they brought in another story in the press, but the reaction of the team’s captain Mika Nurmela, was so clear that the press and the people know what quality I have as a coach,” he said.Saintfiet, who had stints with first division clubs in several European countries as well as Ivory Coast in Africa, said he was invited by the players of the club (RoPS) in Finland this week for lunch, saying that it was a nice ‘rendezvous’.”The stories on (the) Internet from Rovaniemen aren’t right, if someone could translate the Finnish comment of team captain Nurmela, he said that I was a top coach and very professional,” he said.Nurmela is also the captain of the Finnish national team and is one of the most experienced players with 71 caps on that level.He has also played for Bundesliga sides Kaiserslautern and Heerenveen in Germany.Saintfiet said Nurmela was surprised that he (Saintfiet) was sacked.šThe story the club brought out at the time was something to defend themselves.The results were OK, we were building something good and the relation with the players was perfect,” said Saintfiet in the e-mail.”One month after I was sacked the players were not satisfied with my successor and asked if I could return.A veto of the general director didn’t let it come true.Then a third coach (from Estonia) arrived at the end of April.I still have a good contact with the club and team, also with the general director.We only don’t share the same idea which player(s) has to play,” he said.He added: ” Further, I don’t want to comment on this issue, I don’t have to defend myself, I look to the future, with a lot of ambition to show something nice with Namibia.”” Yes, that’s true,” he said on the question of whether he was fired.He explained: ” First of all there are two kind of coaches in the football world, coaches who are sacked and coaches who will become sacked.That’s part of the job and only ‘puppets on a string’ never get never, people with vision and ideas get sometimes sacked.No problem.”He said the only problem was that the general director of the club and himself did not have the same football vision about players who had to play in the team.”He decided to sack me and then they brought in another story in the press, but the reaction of the team’s captain Mika Nurmela, was so clear that the press and the people know what quality I have as a coach,” he said.Saintfiet, who had stints with first division clubs in several European countries as well as Ivory Coast in Africa, said he was invited by the players of the club (RoPS) in Finland this week for lunch, saying that it was a nice ‘rendezvous’.”The stories on (the) Internet from Rovaniemen aren’t right, if someone could translate the Finnish comment of team captain Nurmela, he said that I was a top coach and very professional,” he said.Nurmela is also the captain of the Finnish national team and is one of the most experienced players with 71 caps on that level.He has also played for Bundesliga sides Kaiserslautern and Heerenveen in Germany.Saintfiet said Nurmela was surprised that he (Saintfiet) was sacked.šThe story the club brought out at the time was something to defend themselves.The results were OK, we were building something good and the relation with the players was perfect,” said Saintfiet in the e-mail.”One month after I was sacked the players were not satisfied with my successor and asked if I could return.A veto of the general director didn’t let it come true.Then a third coach (from Estonia) arrived at the end of April.I still have a good contact with the club and team, also with the general director.We only don’t share the same idea which player(s) has to play,” he said.He added: ” Further, I don’t want to comment on this issue, I don’t have to defend myself, I look to the future, with a lot of ambition to show something nice with Namibia.”