Pressure continues to mount on APR FC head coach Adil Mohammed Erradi as the club’s form continues to deteriorate.
The military side has been struggling for form under the Moroccan tactician whose future at the club now looks uncertain if he fails to turn things around.
The club’s surprise defeat against Bugesera on October 7 is said to have not been taken lightly by the coach’s employers. Club Chairman Lt. Gen. Mubarak Muganga came out quick to apologise to the supporters for the club’s current struggles. He assured them that his office is looking for long-term solutions to bring the club back to its best form.
APR are not at their best and Adil should start being concerned about being sacked should he not find the solution to persistent problems being reported in the club’s dressing room.
Players’ fading confidence
Confidence among players has been going down among the players ever since they were knocked by Tunisian side US Monastir a fortnight ago. That affected the club’s results in the league.
The club was lucky to defeat minnows Rwamagana City 3-2, a narrow margin result that came against a team that currently sits bottom of the league table. They also still showed signs of low confidence when they fell 2-1 away to Bugesera FC.
The result left Adil’s players exposed to the extent that he said they need to bounce back quickly if they are to challenge for the league title.
"I don’t know what exactly happened between the game [we played against] Rwamagana and today’s game [against Bugesera] because, ever since we returned from Monastir, we trained hard with the players. They were so confident and their level was so high against Rwamagana but I don’t know what happened in the meantime,” he said.
"I think the players have a mental problem. Something is missing in the players, mentally, and in terms of commitment in the team," he added.
Back to back failures at CAF competitions
APR may have won two league titles unbeaten under Adil Mohammed but that did not stop football enthusiasts and pundits from questioning the club’s poor performance at continental level.
The club endured early eliminations from the CAF Champions League. The new coach's arrival at the club was expected to up the club’s level of competition at the continental scene.
Club management avoided to question his performance at the continental level because he wasn’t allowed to coach the military side at CAF competitions. When he arrived at the club, he had no qualifications as required by the African football governing body to coach clubs at such competitions.
However, the club’s recent elimination by US Monastir raised more questions about his technical performance. He was on the touchline when his side was knocked out.
The tactician will need to do an impeccable job during the club's next fixtures of the national league if he is to regain confidence from his employers. Any mistake could see him sacked, sooner or later.