United show Oris and Drago the door, await a Dutchman
Coach Dragojlo Stanojlovic still cannot believe what befell him over the past festive break. The ink had hardly dried on his two-year contract with Gaborone United, but the club ruthlessly fired him from his positions as Technical Director and stand-in coach.
His fate was actually sealed a few days before New Year’s Day but the killer blow on him was delivered this week. The nomadic Serbian, formerly with Extension Gunners and Mochudi Centre Chiefs, was reportedly brought into the Reds’ fold by United’s director and financier Nicolas Zakhem a season ago to serve as Technical Director while buying time as the club was preparing to get rid of the then club mentor Rahman Gumbo who was later fired.
Later the Serbian assumed the reigns under unclear circumstances with club officials failing to come out in the open on who between him and their then new recruit Oris Boyo Radipotsane was the coach. Boyo had joined United after being fired by premiership rookies Galaxy FC for poor results. At one point many thought that Drago was just paving way for Boyo to take over the reins for the next season, but the latter was fired as well.
Many United supporters have taken to social media to criticize United’s management for firing Drago, saying the man could have been retained to assist as part of the technical team. Despite one heavy 4-0 loss against an unprepared and disjointed Nico United, he was still seen as what the doctor had ordered for the struggling Money Machine, based on his hard work and passion for the game.
United have also been bundled out of the prestigious Mascom Top 8 cup they were defending after winning it last season. Since winning the inaugural beMobile Premier League championship, United have been an inconsistent side characterised by infighting, further renowned for chopping and changing coaches in a short space of time.
Many times the excuse is hinged upon the failure of coaches to win titles whereas the overriding factor is often the internal wrangling that always works against the club’s success on the field.
In their usual demeanor, the United management was over the weekend denying the sacking of their coaches, saying there was no substance in what he called ‘rumours.’ This past weekend, Chairman Rapula Okaila dismissed the sacking of their coaches as just talk without substance, but that was hours before they would officially sack the Serbian. Yet the club is due to kick start their pan African campaign in the CAF Confederations Cup.
However, the same weekend, fresh reports were suggesting that United could be taken over by Dutchman Mart Nooij. The 61-year old has vast experience working with clubs and national teams on the African continent having first come to Africa in 2003 as Burkina Faso national under 23 team coach and led them to FIFA World Youth Championship.
Still in Africa four years later, he assumed the reins in Mozambique as national team coach where in his five year-stint he qualified them to the 2010 AFCON finals in Angola only for him to resign after failing to qualify the Mambas to the 2012 finals.
Sources close to the events have hinted to Sun Sports that Nooij will come along with an unnamed Serbian physical trainer who is currently based in Zambia. United have since parted ways with Radipotsane as well and a surprised Drago says he will stay on in the country with the hope of finding another team.
