Caps United have reassigned former Zambia U17 men’s national team coach Ian Bakala from head coach to assistant following the appointment of Takesure Chiragwi as the new head coach.
Bakala, who guided the team last season and helped them avoid relegation, moves into the assistant role as the club restructures ahead of the new campaign.
On Tuesday, Caps United announced in a statement that it had dissolved the technical bench led by Bakala, stating that it had “served its purpose.”
However, as part of the club’s reorganisation for the new season, Chiragwi has now been appointed head coach, with Bakala confirmed as his assistant. The announcement was made on Friday morning during a press briefing.
Caps President Praises Bakala
Speaking at the press conference, Caps United president Farai Jere clarified the circumstances surrounding Bakala’s demotion.
“I think you can all agree with me, unlike what the media are saying. Ian Bakala did very well under the circumstance; he came and inherited a team that was not his team, and his target was to survive relegation, which he did,” he said.
“So he did very well, extremely well, but when he came, he knew that he was going to be assistant to Mr. Takesure Chiragwi, which then didn’t happen because his current club said they were not going to release the coach until the end of the year, so we never dropped our plan. He knew, and he was aware that I am here standing in as the head coach, but the head coach is coming,” added the president.
“We also want him to learn this system and understand it; it’s a difficult environment, very different from where he is coming from. That’s why we are still here with him. We are very happy with him and what he did with the club; we need to celebrate him,” explained Jere.
The Green Machine will now look to the new season with renewed optimism as the revamped technical bench takes shape.
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