Why URA cut ties with coach Kirya

KAMPALA.

URA FC parted ways with their head coach Ibrahim Kirya on Tuesday night after a tedious 1-1 draw with Premier League debutants Mbarara City at Namboole.
The tax collectors struggled to contain a rampant Mbarara City, who had the upper hand in attempts on goal and possession.
Immediately after the game, URA FC’s board chairman James Kiiza decided to fire Kirya and his assistants Joseph Odoch, Simeon Masaaba, official without portfolio Godfrey Ndugga and interim goal keeping coach Robert Mukasa. Only the kitsman and team manager Sam Okabo were retained. Paul Nkata will for the second time return to the side he coached to the CAF Confederation Cup before he too was sacked in June 2014. Kirya was hired on a three-year contract on March 1, 2017.
The four-time champions sit sixth in the Azam Uganda Premier League table, 11 points behind leaders SC Villa, but Kirya has paid the price for four defeats and just five wins this season. But the writing was on the wall and Kirya has been a dead man walking for most parts of the season.
Results have been wanting for a long time since Kirya took over with the blame put on his ‘outdated’ tactics. He has been accused of putting more effort on physical fitness.
Ahead of the Mbarara City game for instance, the team had four trial games and two sessions of hill climbing. It is the case used against him with the technical team members saying he made the players look tired.
His training methods apart, he had a lot of complacency allowing trialists to train with the squad even in the last session. The failure by his superiors to supervise him at their Gayaza training ground was a loophole he exploited to do things his way. Actually one of the people who have been training with the squad is a local businessman in Gayaza.
But the pressure from the failure to produce players for the national team was also mounting. Goalkeepers ‘coach ‘SadiqWasswa was the first casualty at the start of the season.
He was forced out for failure to groom a player to challenge Denis Onyango. Presently, URA FC only has midfielder ShafiqKagimu and defender Fred Okot in the national teams.
Yet players like goalkeeper Mathias Muwanga, defender Patrick Mbowa and midfielders Julius Mutyaba and Siraje Sentamu are thought to be ready for the big stage.
The defiance that came from several senior players could not spare him. The team had developed cliques with some for the coach and others against him.
On Tuesday, left fullback Sam Sekitto seemed uninterested and wasted every opportunity while Sam Sempa dropped ball after ball after coming on in the 53rd minute. But this has been the story of the team all season long with striker Henry Kisekka, Kagimu and BokotaLabama trying to give their best.
With Kirya yet to say his next move after his contract was terminated, there is a lot more than a change of guards that has to be done as Nkata may also struggle to bring the holy grail to the club.