The Daily Observer (Banjul)
Baboucarr Camara
28 July 2011
Gambian international Abdourahman Dampha’s embattled Swiss Super League club Neuchatel Xamax have agreed a one-year contract with former Sevilla, Athletic Bilboa and Deportivo La Coruna coach Joaquin Caparros to take the helm of affairs at the club after a turbulent start to the season.
The Spaniard surprised the world of football on Wednesday by agreeing to coach the Swiss minnows who fired their entire coaching staff after only two games on Sunday, according to Swiss media reports, as the turmoil since the recent takeover by Chechen businessman Bulat Chagaev continued.
Coach Francois Ciccolini, team manager Sonny Anderson and the rest of the staff, appointed in June, were dismissed immediately after a 2-0 loss at champions FC Basel left them pointless and goalless at the bottom of the league after two games.
Spanish publication Marca reported on Wednesday that the Spanish coach travelled to Switzerland on Tuesday in order to negotiate the terms of the contract and finalise the deal but he was straight away incorporated immediately into the team.
The Chechen businessman is the new owner of Neuchatel and has invested heavily on the team with big money signing among others two Spaniards in David Navarro from Valencia and Victor Sanchez from FC Barcelona. Sanchez and Barca mutually agreed the time had come for a change and opted to go their separate ways. He made just 14 appearances in his two-year stay at the club before joining the Swiss outfit on a free transfer signing a two-year contract.
Navarro spent one year-long loan at RCD Mallorca, where he was used as a backup, appearing in 18 matches and returning to Valencia in July 2008, only to be immediately loaned again to the Balearic Islands side, until the end of 2008-09, where he featured prominently (29 matches, netting once).
Navarro subsequently returned to Valencia, going on to serve as club captain, replacing longtime incumbent David Albelda until his move to the ambitious Swiss club with the Chechen businessman hoping to get the club to UEFA Champions League football in the near future.
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Continued here:
Gambia: Former Seville Coach Caparros Takes Charge At Dampha’s Club