APR’s Adil, Manishimwe in war of words as relationship deteriorates

The APR head coach Adil Mohammed Erradi and club captain Djabel Manishimwe are not seeing eye to eye, with their relationship in the dressing room showing signs of deterioration. Manishimwe was not part of the squad that beat Marine, 2-0, in the league match of October 12 at Kigali Stadium, because he did not train with the rest of the team after their defeat against Bugesera, saying that he wasn’t feeling well. However, Times Sport has established that the player did not want to join the camp because he is in no mood to play for the coach anymore. Manishimwe has been struggling for game time and has recently fallen out of favor under Adil despite being the club captain. The coach, who doesn’t see him as the right man to lead the team, expressed his discontent with the player’s performance since the start of the season. Asked about his player’s current situation at APR, the Moroccan tactician questioned Manishimwe’s commitment and level of performance. He also accused the player of making mistakes that cost APR important results in previous games. “He had the chance [to play] against Monastir and he cost us a goal. He also made the team concede a goal against Bugesera. He did not defend well, he never made a difference against Bugesera. There is no senior player at APR, there is no honor at APR, it’s about the results,” Adil told journalists in a post-match press conference on Wednesday, October 12. “Djabel is a player like others. If he, like any other player, cannot (defend) APR’s shirt, he has no place in the club. That’s simple. If he’s happy, that’s good of him...if he’s not happy, he knows very well what happens,” he added. APR are having the worst start to the season since the arrival of Adil in 2019. Manishimwe has come out to criticize his coach for, allegedly, playing the blame game against some players when the team is struggling for results. “If you share the best moments, you should also be sharing the worst and get through it together. But if you start blaming one person, then you’re not a man,” the player told local radio station, Radio 1, reacting to his coach’s comments. Should the club management not take a quick intervention to end the pair’s disputes, Manishimwe could see himself out of the club and following the likes of Olivier Niyonzima, Kevin Ishimwe and Jacques Tuyisenge who left the club after they were frozen out by the coach. Other reports, however, suggest that Adil could face suspension due to his persistent criticism of players in the media.

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APR’s Adil, Manishimwe in war of words as relationship deteriorates