Maroons coach Bamweyana, CEO sacked

Mar 07, 2020

The final nail into Douglas Bamweyana's coffin was the 1-0 home defeat to Express that has left the club languishing in the drop zone.

STARTIMES UGANDA PREMIER LEAGUE

LUZIRA - Maroons have joined the long list of teams in Uganda's top-flight football that have dismissed their head coaches this season.

The final nail in Douglas Bamweyana's coaching coffin was the 1-0 home defeat to Express on Thursday.

The Uganda Prisons-funded club also relieved the entire technical team and the club CEO of their duties, according to a statement released by the club on Saturday. It is understood the decision was arrived at following a "recent poor run of results and underperformance" of the team.

They have lost their last five games and last tasted victory eight games ago - a 2-0 win over BUL on January 18. Before that home win, they had not won a match in seven games.

Maroons are now in the drop zone - 14th place on 24 points - with five games left to the end of the season. They have registered the worst recent form so far (five games), with only Onduparaka coming closest (four losses and a draw).


At the end of their last game, a section of irate fans attacked Bamweyana as he was leaving the pitch and voiced their demands for him to leave the club.

"Leave our team alone! Either you resign or get sacked!" one shouted at him.

The fans had had enough of the former Villa and Express tactician, whose fate would go on to be sealed 72 hours later in a communication from the club's hierarchy.

The club's board had "resolved to terminate its working relationship with the Head Coach Mr. Bamwenyana Douglas, the entire technical team and the Club CEO".

The dismissed coach and his team were thanked for "the services rendered to our Club and wish them the very best in their next tasks".

In the interim, a technical team will be unveiled on Monday.

Bamweyana was appointed in mid-July last year and has ended his regime with a 24% win record. He has won six, drawn six and lost 13 of the 25 games under his charge.


While the escape door is slowly closing out on them, Maroons can still survive the drop if they manage to grind out the results, and their next match - against Police, who are just above them in 13th - will be pivotal for their stay of execution.

Despite their league struggles, they are still in Uganda Cup contention, having progressed to the Round of 16. The winners of this competition get to play in the Confederation Cup, the second-tier of Africa's club football.

After the Express game, Bamweyana admitted his side's poor form and in a redemptive tone, without giving specifics, he voiced his next move.

"It is true we are in a sorry state and I understand the feelings of our fans about this poor run. But I am going to sit down with the players and do our best to survive relegation."

But he had run out of time.

For now, the club will hope to use the two-month-long league recess to get back to the drawing board and rethink their survival strategy.

On top of their clash with fellow strugglers Police, other tough fixtures lie ahead for the Luzira-based outfit - against URA, Villa, Kyetume and Mbarara City.


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