Emmanuel Amuneke Confirms New El-Makasa Role

The former Tanzania coach has denied reports that he has been sacked by the Egyptian club but affirms there has been a reshuffle.

Emmanuel Amuneke has confirmed that he has vacated his role as the coach of El-Makkasa, but he will stay on to help oversee the ambitious club’s bigger projects.

The former Barcelona star was appointed as the club’s manager after he was dismissed as Tanzania’s manager following the Taifa Stars group stage exit at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations.

The one-time African Footballer of the Year led El-Makasa in just three games in his short tenure – against Smouha and Al Entag Al Harbi, which both ended in 1-1 draws and then a 0-1 defeat to Tala’ea El Gaish in the Egyptian Cup.

The club has already named former coach Ehab Galal as the new man in charge, with Amuneke now expected to assume the position of director of the club’s academies across Africa.

“I’m still with the team; there is no sack involved as reported because Makkasa is a massive group, and the past year has seen them trying to create projects across the continent,” Amuneke told BBC Sport.

“When I was still working in Tanzania, they came to the country to discuss with the government about investing in the East African country. They plan to invest in Tanzania, Mali, and possibly in Nigeria in the future.

“We’ve been discussing about the academies; we are still looking at the contractual options because this is a long-term project, and I wouldn’t want it to affect any other coaching opportunities.”

“The decision to bring in a new coach is only logical because accepting to work on this big project means it will be difficult for me to combine both roles,” he added.

“We’ll see how things pan out, but I am still here working with Makkasa.”

The club is currently struggling in the Egyptian league and caught up in the relegation dogfight, lying in 16th place on 14 points.