Kaseke parts ways with UAE side

By Mehluli Sibanda

Former Zimbabwe international defender, Noel Kaseke has parted ways with his United Arab Emirates First Division club, Al Hamriya where he was the assistant coach.

Kaseke was released from his contract last month together with head coach, Suliman Hadji and the rest of the club’s technical team.

The former Highlanders defender was on a one year contract, which would have been automatically extended had Al Hamriya earned promotion to the Arabian Gulf League.

When it became clear that the Sharjah based club will not be promoted, Kaseke and the entire first team coaching department were shown the exit door.

Khor Fakkan and Hatta occupied the top two positions at the end of the season, which saw them being promoted. Al Hamriya finished in fourth place with 37 points from the 18 matches they played.

Kaseke, back home while he ponders his next move described his parting of ways with Al Hamriya as amicable since they were aware from the start of the season that they will be fired if they failed to take the team to the top league. For Kaseke, it was his first season as a coach after his retirement last year.

What seemed to have angered the owners of Al Hamriya is that the team led for most parts of the season but lost it right at the end of the season.

“Imagine we were one foot into the Arabian Gulf League, until the last two weeks, that’s how football is , its moments, had we managed to hang on until then and the players were a little tougher in the end of the season, it would have been a different story,’’ Kaseke said.

The ex Bosso right back indicated that he has been offered jobs in UAE, with Al Hamriya even keen to convince him to take over from Hadji but he decided to be loyal to the man who engaged him as his assistant when he had no coaching experience as he looks to build himself as a head coach.

Kaseke is working with Zifa Southern Region Division One side, Indlovu Iyanyathela, a team he has been assisting for three years now whenever he is home.

Christian Brothers College, a school where Kaseke’s first born son is in form three have also benefited from his coaching despite the fact that his youngster does not play football but chose basketball. Sunday News