Sofapaka FC president Elly Kalekwa has heavily criticized the manner in which former head coach Zedekiah ‘Zico’ Otieno left Batoto ba Mungu to join Martin Neiva’s backroom staff at Gor Mahia.Otieno departed the club a week before the Football Kenya Federation Premier League (FKFPL) promotion/relegation playoff against second-tier side Naivas FC.Ezekiel Akwana was called in as the stand-in coach and managed to lead the 2009 Premier League champions to retain their league status after overpowering the Retailers 2-0 over two legs staged at Police Sacco Grounds and Dandora Stadium.##NAJAVA_MECA_8213797##A visibly bitter Kalekwa appeared to question the professionalism of Kenyan coaches, terming Zico’s move as disastrous and harmful to the reputation of Kenyan experts.“Some coaches can make you lose respect for them. You can’t be a professional and leave a team when they need you the most. It raises questions about the caliber of coaches we have in the country. I am sorry to say that,” stated Kalekwa.“We do not owe him a single coin, and even if we did, there is a professional way of handling these things. He went against the terms of the contract. He saw we were preparing for a playoff and chose to abandon us anyway,” he added.Shikangwa reveals difficulties players face in professional footballKalekwa further accused Zico, the former KCB FC coach, of breaching his contract. However, he insisted that, due to their friendship, he would not take legal action but would be more cautious with local coaches in the future.“His contract was to run until January 2025. This situation is what earned him the job. As Batoto ba Mungu, we do not like conflicts, but if we want to fight, we will fight to the end,” he added.“There are clauses in that contract he should honour. I do not know if he read them since it appears he is led by ego, but I have lost my respect for him, and it could make me doubt other coaches in the country.”Kalekwa also speculated whether Zico had conspired with Naivas to jeopardize Sofapaka’s chances in the playoff.“It even got me thinking he colluded with Naivas to make us lose. What he did, for someone who is a professional and a CAF instructor, was wrong. He is useless (Bure kabisaa).”Sofapaka retain top flight status following win over NaivasExplaining why he feels betrayed, Kalekwa said, “What pains me is that he was my friend before. Now he has proven he is a fake friend. I do not like fake people.”With Batoto ba Mungu securing another season in the top tier, all attention now shifts to the restructuring of the technical bench and squad to make them competitive in the upcoming campaign, according to the club boss.
