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TANZANIA sacked Dutch coach Mart Nooij yesterday, raising to three the number of African national team handlers axed this week.
Malawi triggered the firing frenzy by dumping Young Chimodzi and Mozambique gave João Chissano the boot.
Tanzania, Malawi and Mozambique all lost 2017 Africa Cup of Nations (CAN) opening qualifiers last weekend.
Malawi and Mozambique quickly installed former national team players Ernest Mtawali and Helder “Mano Mano” Muianga respectively as replacements on a trial basis.
The Tanzanian Football Federation said in a statement that a successor to the 61-year-old Dutchman would be named in due course.
Nooij was a sacking waiting to happen after six consecutive losses — the latest a 3-0 home drubbing by Uganda on Saturday in a 2016 African Nations Championship (Chan) qualifier.
Tanzania fared disastrously as “guests” at the Cosafa Cup southern Africa championship last month, losing to lower-ranked opponents Swaziland, Madagascar and Lesotho.
A friendly defeat in Rwanda and a 2017 Cup of Nations qualifying loss in Egypt followed, and the crushing blow delivered by Uganda was the final straw for embattled officials.
Nooij previously coached the national youth team of Burkina Faso and the senior team of Mozambique and clubs in South Africa and Ethiopia.
Chimodzi lost his job after Malawi slumped to an unexpected 2-1 home defeat by Zimbabwe, who arrived only 14 hours before the kickoff after a bus journey across three countries.
Chissano was relieved of his duties when Mozambique fell 1-0 at home to Rwanda in another Cup of Nations surprise.
There was also a change of coaches in Namibia this week, although Ricardo Mannetti quit for undisclosed personal reasons.
He walked out just 19 days after guiding Namibia to success over Mozambique in the Cosafa Cup final — the first senior football title won by the semi-desert nation. — AFP
