Timbe speaks of Baraza’s absence and wobbly season start

Trouble is brewing at the Ruaraka based Kenyan Premier League (KPL) giants Tusker FC. Last week, the club denied reports that it had sent its assistant coach Francis Baraza on suspension, but his absence from the technical bench in weekend’s barren stalemate against Posta Rangers raised more eyebrows.

Independent investigations by Citizen Digital has established the working relationship between the newly installed coach Sam Timbe and his deputy Baraza had broken down irreparably, triggering Baraza’s  absence from the weekend game.

More telling was is Baraza’s silence on the matter, with history showing most of the suspended tacticians at the 11-time KPL champions end up being sacked.

Most recent was Ugandan George ‘Best’ Nsimbe, whose best at the club was never realized due to what has been revealed to be sabotage by Baraza.

A former senior player who spoke on condition of anonymity explained the current events at Tusker were expected, after the 2017 season troubles which he says were ‘Baraza orchestrated.’

“At Tusker when you are suspended count yourself out completely. I won’t be surprised if it happens to Baraza because he is the one who frustrated George’s (Nsimbe) efforts pretending to be positively motivated.

“He did not help him at all, he contributed 101 percent to his sacking, eying the head coach role. So unfortunate for him the management went for Timbe after George’s exit, a result he must have been so upset with,” divulged the player.

The seasoned player, who was among the several big names who parted ways with Tusker at the end of the last season’s campaign backed Timbe to lift the team again if he gets maximum support.

“If indeed Baraza goes and Timbe is given the space, he can deliver. He is a good coach, players who have been in KPL for long will tell you, but he may need time to compose his own team because most of the players recruited in January came courtesy of Baraza,” he added.

According to the player, unprofessional approaches by the coach (Baraza) were resisted some of the players, hence their departure at the end of the dull season 2017.

“Players must submit to a coach, that is mandatory. However, if they turn so unprofessional to an extent of negatively discussing some players with a section of the team, nasty reactions are unavoidable.

“The management may not have known how frustrated George and some players were by Baraza. A keen analyst would have been curious how a side that won the league and domestic cup failed to impress a season later despite the very few changes,” he averred.

Asked why Baraza was missing on Sunday’s match, Timbe, who reportedly has received a brief from his countryman Nsimbe on their past relationship, technically avoided the talk.

“My contract stipulates that I head Tusker’s technical bench, which I did today. It is not about one or two person, but the technical bench. I’m doing my duty as required,” said Timbe avoiding to plainly spill the beans.

Tusker are yet to score a goal in the current campaign albeit registering the draw against Rangers, coming from a 2-0 defeat to Chemelil Sugar.

Their preseason was still uninspiring, including a 1-0 home loss to visitors KCCA of Uganda, underscoring the instability at the club.