DR Congo coaches clash

Nouzaret is no longer prepared to work with Santos Mutubile

A war of words has broken out between the DR Congo coach Robert Nouzaret and his local assistant.

With the Congolese preparing to take on Mauritius in an African Cup of Nations qualifier, Robert Nouzaret has announced that he can no longer work with Santos Mutubile.

Mutubile is also the coach of the DR Congo home-based team that played in the recent CHAN tournament in Sudan.

Nouzaret told BBC Sport that they have fallen out because Mutubile has been criticising him in the local media.

The Frenchman also accused his assistant of taking up a coaching role with a club in neighbouring Congo-Brazzaville behind his back.

“I don’t know why my assistant criticises me in the media,” Nouzaret fumed.

“If I decide to make public what I know about him, he can die today. I won’t work with him anymore.”

But Mutubile, tasked with recommending local players for national selection, hit back at Nouzaret, saying that he is not obliged to report to him.

“I’m only accountable to the government and the Federation.

“Mr Nouzaret doesn’t have any right to say that I went to coach a club in Brazzaville without getting his opinion.

“I never criticised him in the media but since he started a war, I will hold a press conference and tell the public all I know about him.”

The president of the DR Congo Football Federation Omari Selemani has called on both men to stop their feud and concentrate on the match against Mauritius on 27 March in Kinshasa.

“I told them to stop fighting because that will destabilise the squad,” Omari said.

“They have to prepare the team for our tie against Mauritius quietly instead of involving themselves in this nonsense.”