Mwalala: I learnt of my sacking in the media

Former Kakamega Homeboyz coach Bernard Mwalala has disputed claims by the club’s chairman, Cleophas Shimanyula, that he was sacked together with the technical bench on disciplinary grounds.

Instead, Mwalala said there were personal issues, and things relating to the team that they failed to agree on.

Subsequently, they reached a mutual agreement with Shimanyula that he sees through his contract until September as the club looks for his replacement.

Speaking a day after Shimanyula relieved him and the entire technical bench of their duties, Mwalala said he learnt about his sacking on the media and Shimanyula has neither contacted him, nor informed him of the matter officially.

“I have never absconded duty, and I did not have a disciplinary case. My players and the technical bench can attest to that. The chairman has not informed me of his decision but if it is the case (that I’m sacked), then I respect it.

The truth of the matter is that there were personal issues we couldn’t agree on but I’m a professional coach, and can’t let the cat out of the bag. My contract it was to end in September and now that I have been fired, it will be great if he honours the details pertaining to it,” the 37-year-old coach said.

Asked whether he was sacked after narrowly losing the league title to Tusker, Mwalala said Homeboyz failed to win the title because of individual mistakes by players as well as off-pitch issues which the management was well aware of.

“Yes we lost the league title narrowly but if you look at how as a coach I handled the team, you couldn’t know there were issues. I did my best but it was individual mistakes which made Tusker catch up with us and eventually overtake us in the title race,” he added.

The former Harambee Stars player also denied claims that his love for the bottle affected his work.

He said he will join a new team once he is officially released by Homeboyz.

“Anybody can say anything but as an adult, I also have a social life. I did my job diligently and it is not a mistake if I join my friends in social places to relax after work. It never interfered with my work in any way,” he said.

On Monday, Shimanyula said he had sacked Mwalala and the entire technical bench for Indiscipline, and he was looking for a highly rated local coach or a foreigner who will steer the club next season.

Goalkeeping coach David Juma will be in charge of the team in the interim.