Disgruntled AFC Leopards fans place two-game ultimatum on head coach
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Reading Time: 4min | Mon. 13.10.25. | 18:53
The head coach is the elder brother of the club’s chairman, Boniface Ambani, who has been under pressure to fire his sibling, just two league matches into the season
A section of AFC Leopards fans have issued head coach Fred Ambani and members of his technical bench with a two-game ultimatum following their poor start to the season.
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Ambani was announced as Leopards’ substantive head coach in September, just before the season began, after acting on an interim basis since November 2024 following the departure of Czech tactician Tomas Trucha over underwhelming results.
Despite a decent record in the second half of last season, which saw Ingwe finish sixth on the league table, the former Zoo FC head coach is yet to register a win in the league this season, settling for a draw in all the first two matches.
Additionally, the club performed dismally in the recently held ODM@20 Tournament in Mombasa, finishing last in the four-team tourney that was lifted by their perennial rivals, Gor Mahia.
It is on that backdrop that disgruntled fans penned a letter to the head coach as a warning for the team’s poor performance.
“This letter serves as a written warning to you regarding your poor performance in the latest Kenya Premier League matches, as revealed by your performance reports.
We have continuously monitored your performance, and it has occurred to us that the ratings are not satisfactory and have consistently failed to meet the team's expectations,” reads the opening statement of the letter
The fans who revealed knowledge of a meeting between the former AFC Leopards striker and the club’s management over the team’s performance went ahead to issue the 48-year-old with a two-game ultimatum.
“If we do not see any significant improvement in your performance during the next league 2 matches against Bandari & KCB, we will have no choice but to call on you to terminate your employment with AFC Leopards Sports Club,” the letter continued.
The head coach is the elder brother of the club’s chairman, Boniface Ambani, who has been under pressure to fire his sibling, just two league matches into the season.
The fans went a step further to also issue a similar warning to Ambani’s assistant, Kennedy Wendo, who also turned out for the club as a striker during his playing career.
“This letter is to inform you about your failure to perform satisfactorily in your position as the Assistant Head Coach.
We as fans are concerned and want to see you succeed in your assignment, and therefore it is your duty as the Assistant Head Coach to help identify the gaps in the team and discuss with the head coach on different tactics and areas to improve the overall team performance,” reads part of a separate letter addressed to Wendo.
The tactician was issued the same timelines as those of his boss to change the club’s fortunes.
"We therefore inform you that failure to see improvement in the next league match against Bandari & KCB, we will have no choice but to call on you to terminate your contract with AFC Leopards Sports Club with immediate effect."
Wendo was accused of failure to address the numerous concerns by fans on continued poor performance, failure to consistently advise the Head Coach on fielding of the first eleven, as well as failure to address the dressing room unrest on the choice of the first eleven in different matches.
The fans did not spare the club’s fitness coach, Vincent Mbwavi, whom they also sent a warning letter with the same condition as Ambani and Wendo.
Shockingly, of the three officials under siege, Mbwavi had the largest number of counts (seven). In his warning letter, he is accused of failure to address the numerous concerns by fans on the continued poor performance, failure to implement and monitor individualised strength programs as per team standards.
The Strength and Conditioning coach, who has been with Ingwe for over five years, is also questioned on fitness challenges that have led to the team conceding in certain matches, as well as either missing or passive participation in training sessions.
Mbwavi has also been accused of failure to adhere to professional standards, as well as delays in sharing player performance data and training schedule with the head coach.
The letter also alleges complaints from some players about the methodologies used by Mbwavi.
“The team's conditioning benchmarks and strength development have not met expected progress levels. Several players have reported inconsistent training structures and inadequate monitoring of individual performance,” reads the accusation.
AFC Leopards' next league match will be against Bandari on Wednesday, 15 October at the Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani, from 1600 hrs.
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