APR sack Katotola and Bikindi

The nine-time national league champions, APR football have sacked their second assistant coach Jean David Mukesa Katotola a.k.a Chicco and long time serving goalkeeping coach Aboubacar Bikindi. The DR Congo born pair was sacked on Tuesday but efforts to get a comment from the club officials were futile by press time. When contacted the flamboyant Katotola only said that, “There is nothing I can tell now considering my sacking but its true I have been relived of my duties,” Katotola told Times Sport yesterday. Katotola’s axing comes three weeks after his mentor Andia Mfutila was axed on grounds that his one-year working contract with the military side had expired. Katotola who previously managed AC Matonge in DRC was brought to APR by Mfutila after taking up the reigns at the military side in December 2006. For Bikindi, his lukewarm relationship with the club has finally come to an unsurprising end. He has been open of the longest serving APR technical bench staff after enjoying uninterrupted spells under Jean-Marie Ntagwabira, Jean-Pierre Akono, Valence Muvala and Kenyan Jacob ‘Ghost’ Mulee. For starters, it all started last year when the senior club administrators released almost the entire squad that had just won an unprecedented quadruple in Mfutila’s first season in charge. The players who included Jimmy Gatete, Manfred Kizito, Jean Shyaka, Yousuf Kayihura, Patrick Mafisango, Vincent Kayizi, and Alimansi Kadogo, Pierre Mukandila, Jannot Witakenge and Joseph Bwalya were axed on the eve of the season. The exit from the Caf Champions League at the hands of El Zamalek 4-1 on goal aggregate summed up Mfutila’s downfall as his bosses ran out of patience hence relieving him of his coaching duties. During his time as Fc Lupopo coach, Mfutila knew a lot about Katotola who was then assistant coach at AC Matonge of DR Congo, so when the chance came to pick his own right-hand man, he immediately went for Katotola. The Congolese duo served under Mfutila on their match to a quadruple in his first season. The trio also guided the military side to the second round of the African Champions League where they were controversially eliminated by Togolese side Maranatha de Fiokopo. Ends

Lifestyle

APR sack Katotola and Bikindi