Rwanda national football coach Micho sacked

Amavubi coach Milutin ‘Micho’ Sredojovic has been sacked following poor run of results, the Rwanda Football Association has announced.

Wednesday, April 17, 2013
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Amavubi coach Milutin ‘Micho’ Sredojovic has been sacked following poor run of results, the Rwanda Football Association has announced.

"Football authorities in Rwanda have taken the decision to terminate Micho’s contract because of poor performances,” Ferwafa Secretary General Michel Gasingwa said in a statement posted on the Federation’s website today.

Earlier, Gasingwa had told The New Times that the Serbian tactician, who had seven months left on his two-year contract, had underachieved.

"Amavubi have not won the Cecafa (a regional tournament) Cup in two attempts, they have not qualified for the African Cup of Nations and will not qualify for the (2014) World Cup judging by the current results; so even a young child can assess his (Micho) performance,” the former Caf/Fifa referee told this newspaper.

Efforts to talk to Micho were futile but Ferwafa said details will be provided in a scheduled news conference tomorrow.

Micho’s sacking follows rumours that he was eyeing the Uganda Cranes job which fell vacant when football administrators in Kampala also showed Bobby Williamson the exit more than a week ago.

Earlier, the 44-year old had also been linked to Kenya’s top football job but he was reportedly overlooked by the country’s football managers.

Micho got his Amavubi career off to a bright start, winning four of his first five matches, but things took a drastic turn – with defeat after defeat.

The downward spiral started with the 2013 Nations Cup qualifier against Nigeria in the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, before disappointing results during three warm-up matches ahead of the 2014 Fifa World Cup qualifiers against Algeria and Benin.

The friends were against Libya (2-1 defeat), Tunisia (5-1 defeat) and Chad (one-all draw). That was followed by a 4-0 walloping at the hands of Algeria in their first 2014 Fifa World Cup qualifier.

Later, Micho saw Amavubi scrape a 1-1 draw against Benin in Kigali, before going on to lose 2-1 to Mali, also on their home turf, in their faltering World Cup campaign.

Now, the national team has a solitary point from three World Cup qualifying matches.

Micho replaced Ghanaian Sellas Tetteh in 2011, beating Nigeria’s football legend and current Super Eagles coach Stephen Keshi, among others, to the Amavubi job.

Micho’s 19-year career in the dugout has seen him coach teams in Yugoslavia, Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia, South Africa and, lately, Rwanda – which was his first national side assignment.