Belgian tactician Patrick Aussems will not be signing a new contract at AFC Leopards and has now officially left the 1998 Premier League champions.
Aussems took to social media to say that he would not be extending his two-and-a-half year stay at the club ‘due to personal reasons’ and has also wished Ingwe all the best in their future endeavors.
“For personal and private reasons l won’t be able to renew my contract with AFC Leopards ! Thanks to my players, my staff , the incredible fans for the last 2 years ! I wish Ingwe all the best ! Asante sana,” he wrote on his twitter page.
The 57-year-old tactician joined the club in February 2021, having previously been in charge of Tanzanian giants Simba, who he led to a league title and the Champions League quarter-finals in the same season.
Aussems was forced to work under the tightest of circumstances in his time at the Den, as the club had been hit by a transfer embargo by FIFA.
He was, as a result, forced to work with a squad mostly made up of players who were promoted from the youth team.
He led the club to a fourth-placed finish in the 2020/2021 season having joined in February, before guiding Ingwe to a seventh-place finish and eighth respectively. There were two cup semi-finals and final runs along the way.
There were talks of him remaining at the club, having demanded a pay rise as part of his new contract developments. The Kenyan football fraternity was expecting the controversial coach to stay, so the decision to reverse his mind has come as a relative shock.
Ingwe will now be in the hunt for a new head coach as Tom Juma continues to take charge of the club in an acting capacity, having filled the role for their last two matches of the season against Kariobangi Sharks and Ulinzi Stars.
