Transfers: Minnaert threatens to walk out of the Den

Belgian head coach, Ivan Minnaert has threatened to walk out of the Den if the club’s Executive does not sign players in his wish-list in the mid-season transfer window.

Minnaert however, declined to confirm whether there was pressure from members of Ingwe’s Executive to force players in the club.

This  comes after claims surfaced that Noah  Wanyama , who is the  co -Secretary  General   was   alleged  to  be  coercing Minnaert  to  sign  his  two  sons  who  play  for   Sony Sugar  and  Mathare United.

“I have  given them  my  list  of  players  that  I  want  and if anybody  is  working to recruit players from my behind, I don’t know.

“I can’t comment on Noah Wanyama’s   pressure  and  the  thing  is  that  I  have  my  list  of  players  I  want  since  the  decision  is   mine  to  know   who  comes  in,” the Belgian asserted.

“I’m not  going  to disclose  the  names  of  the  exact  players  who  have  already  accepted  to  joined  Ingwe  since  they  are  under  contracts  with  their  clubs  for  now,” the coach added.

He did confirm former Leopards’ heroes, striker Allan Wanga, Paul Were and Musa Mudde who left the Den at the end of last season for Bandari FC do not feature in his plans.

Minnaert further told Citizen Digital he was working with Ingwe’s board to see that the best players are recruited to revive their stalling title charge that has seen them drop from top to sixth with 19 points on the table.

“I know  that  there  are  a lot  of  names  said  to  be on my  wish  list  in  the  press  but  no  one  is  interested  in those  names  since I have my own players  whom  I  want,” he elaborated.

Separately, Wanyama who is the father of Southampton FC star and Harambee Stars captain, Victor Mugubi and former Champions League winner, MacDonald Mariga who plays in Italy’s Serie B denied he was seeking to have their siblings join Ingwe.

“I recruited the players that are in AFC Leopards. I want to the team to perform well and the rumours you are hearing are false,” the co-Secretary charged.

Leopards’  Organising  Secretary, Peter  Lichungu, assured Ingwe’s  stakeholders that the  coach  has all  the  freedom  to  chose  whichever  player  he  wants  without  interference.

“My  work  with  Wanyama  is  only to facilitate the players the coach  wants and if Wanyama’s  sons  are  talented  enough  to  play  for  Leopards  then  why  not?” Lichungu posed.

“All the rumours circulating in the media are being triggered by the politics that are geared towards the club elections in June. Cheap politics will not take us anywhere,” he reiterated.

“If some is playing  for  Mathare and Sony  teams  that  are  in  the  top  flight  then  it  means  that’s  they  are  good but that  does  not  insinuate that  we  want  the coach  to  take  them  if  he  is  not  interested,” the official stressed.

Report by Godfrey Ashiali