Bullets demote Kananji

Big Bullets FC have demoted their coach Elia Kananji and settled for their former mentor Nsanzurwimo Ramadhan as head coach ahead of the team’s participation in the 2015 Confederation of Africa (CAF) Club Championship.

According to Bullets’ general secretary Harold Fote, Ramadhan will be deputised by Kananji, who steered the team to their first TNM Super League glory in a decade and his assistant Lloyd Nkhwazi.

He said the trio has been given one-year contracts, which will be extended to more years based on the panel’s performance.

Fote said they have decided to demote Kananji, despite his success in the just-ended league season, due to some coaching qualification hitches pertaining to the requirements in the CAF Championships.

“We wished we had maintained the Super League winning coaching panel, but things have changed because Kananji has no CAF coaching licence to be used during the CAF Championship,” said Fote.

“We could as well not take Nkhwazi, who has the required licence, as head coach because that could be perceived as demeaning Kananji, his boss in the previous technical panel. We have, therefore, opted for Ramadhan as head coach to avoid the conflict that could possibly ensue.”

He, however, said only Ramadhan and Nkhwazi will be allowed to be on the touchline during Bullets’ games in the continental showpiece as per the requirements in CAF competitions.

When asked how much they have offered the coaches, Fote said that is a private issue at present.

But he alluded to the fact that Ramadhan will be receiving less than K500 000 a month.

“Ramadhan demanded more than K500 000 salary, excluding game bonuses at the start of the 2014 season, but now he has accepted to adjust and go low,” said Fote about Ramadhan, who won Bullets three league titles between 1997 and 2001.

Bullets are preparing for a CAF Championship’s preliminary round match away in Comoros Island against Fomboni Club de Moheil on February 13 2015.