AFC Leopards unveil new coach

 

Former Township Rollers coach Nikola Kavzonic  is  the next AFC Leopards head coach.

Kenya Premier League side AFC Leopards made the announcement through social media .

Serb will take over from Rodolfo Zapata, who guided Leopards to finishing seventh in the just concluded season.

Kavazovic is the former Tajikistan national football team coach and is also a former head coach of the Tajikistan champions Istiqlol Dushanbe.

Nikola Kavazonic, afc leopards

The 43-year-old coach  resigned on 16 October 2018 after a successful stint with Rollers, which saw him win the Botswana Premier League twice.

He won the AFC President’s cup in 2012 at Istiqlol Dushanbe.

He made history with the Popapopa this season after guiding them to a historic qualification to the group stage of the Caf Champions League for the first time, a feat never achieved before by any Botswana club.

Interestingly, immediate former AFC Leopards coach Rodolfo Zapata is expected in Botswana Sunday to replace him at Rollers.

The Argentine was shown the down at the end of the 2018 KPL season for poor performance which saw the 12-time KPL champions finish the season trophy-less and fail to book continental football ticket next season.

Nikola is expected to become the fifth Ingwe coach this year after Stewart Hall, Dennis Kitambi, Robert Matano and Zapata.

In 2014, he was appointed head coach of the Sri Lanka national football team. Sri Lanka defeated Seychelles 2-1 on his debut – the team’s first ever away win in 15 years.

In 2015 Kavazovic became the head coach of Maldivian champions New Radiant SC.

After a successful season at New Radiant, he accepted an offer from Lanexang United, Laos and became their head coach in 2016.

During the same year, he was appointed head coach of Bangladesh club Saif Sporting Club. With them, he easily won the league after going unbeaten for 16 games.

He then resigned and joined Botswana side Township Rollers.

He completed the double in Botswana in 2017, winning the league and Mascom Top 8 Cup. Under him, for the first time in their history, they reached the group stages of the CAF Champions League.

October 17th 2018 he resigned from his post as head coach of Township Rollers.

If he signs, his immediate task would be to prepare the sleeping giants for the next KPL season starting early December.

Leopards have never won the KPL title since 1998 and are under immense pressure to break the jinx and stop dominance of their arch rivals Gor Mahia who won a 17th title last season.

 

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