Sead Ramovic left his staff, management, and players in shock at Tanzanian giants Yanga SC by resigning just an hour before the team’s final training session ahead of a league match.
The German, who joined Yanga on November 15 after abrupting stepping down as TS Galaxy coach in the PSL, resigned from the Tanzanian side on Tuesday afternoon.
Just as Yanga SC were preparing for their clash against KenGold on Wednesday afternoon, Ramovic requested an emergency meeting to notify them of his decision to resign immediately.
After efforts to convince him to at least finish the season, the 45-year-old reportedly insisted he wanted to leave. Hours later, he was announced as the Algerian giants CR Belouizdad’s head coach. The following day, he jetted off to Algeria via Turkey and landed in Algiers.
WHAT YANGA SAID ABOUT SEAD RAMOVIC’S EXIT
Back in Dar es Salaam, Yanga issued a statement confirming they had “reached a mutual agreement to terminate the contracts of head coach Sead Ramovic and his assistant, Mustafa Kodro.”
The club swiftly hired Algerian mentor Miloud Hamdi as the new Head Coach. Hamdi, who holds dual citizenship in Algeria and France, joined Yanga from Singida Black Stars.
With an impressive track record, Hamdi has achieved significant success in African football, including winning the Algerian Ligue 1 title and reaching the CAF Champions League final during the 2015/16 season with USM Alger.
However, in the game against KenGold, Yanga’s technical director, Abdihalim Moalin, was in charge, guiding the team to an emphatic 6-1 victory. Prince Dube and Clement Mzize each scored two goals, while Duke Abuya and Pacome Zouzoua contributed one goal each.
Ramovic was in charge of 13 games. Six of those were in the league, and he won all of them. He also played six in the CAF Champions League, winning two, drawing two, and losing two. The 13th game was in the CRDB Cup, which he won. Yanga scored 33 goals in those 13 games, conceded eight, keeping six clean sheets.
HIS HANDLING OF SENIOR PLAYERS WAS A MAJOR CONCERN
Revered Tanzanian pundit Salum Pelembo of Magic FM and Channel 10 said Ramović’s sudden exit “caught him by surprise”. “I was surprised by his sudden exit,” Salum told FARPost.
“Of course, it was inevitable that he’d be held accountable for the team’s performance at some point. His predecessors, Nasreddine Nabi and Miguel Gamondi, delivered both results and attractive football. While Ramovic achieved results, the team’s play was not so good.
“His management style was a bit problematic. The constant clashes with senior players were a major concern. At Young Africans, winning isn’t the sole objective; player management is crucial. His public complaints about the team’s fitness levels, demanding excessive running, were also a cause for concern.”
Tanzanian broadcast journalist Geoffrey Lea also told Metro FM that the 45-year-old coach was “butting heads” with big players at Yanga.
“I’m told that Ramović was butting heads with some of the big players at Yanga, including [Stephane] Aziz Ki, and the player was getting ready to leave at the end of the season,” Lea said.
According to a Yanga player, his clash with Aziz Ki was because of his insistence on tracking back and defending, while Ki argued that his role was to create and score goals.
His decision to exclude veteran midfielder Clatous Chama for being just one minute late to a team meeting before a crucial match against MC Alger also drew criticism. In that fixture, he played Kennedy Musonda and gave Pacome Zouzoua, who had just recovered from a malaria illness, 45 minutes. That game marked Yanga’s exit from the CAF Champions League as they played a goalless draw at home.
RELATED STORY: Sead Ramovic next move revealed after Yanga exit
