Yanga SC officially announced the dismissal of head coach Pedro Gonçalves shortly after their NBC Premier League match against KMC.
Gonçalves was in charge during the match at KMC Complex, where Yanga secured a narrow 1-0 victory. However, only moments later, the club released a public statement confirming that his time at the club had come to an end.
Football analysts believe the decision had been made long before the official announcement, with the club simply waiting for the right moment to finalize it.
Following a run of three consecutive draws in March, Yanga officials reportedly held meetings with the technical bench seeking explanations for the disappointing results.
After those discussions, the club decided to bring in assistant coach Abdulhamid Moalin to strengthen the technical bench after concluding that Yanga had lost part of their playing identity under Gonçalves.
At that stage, the club postponed plans to dismiss the Portuguese coach, giving him another opportunity while hoping that working alongside Moalin would improve the team’s performances.
Indeed, Moalin’s arrival appeared to bring positive changes to the squad, although Gonçalves reportedly continued to insist on his preferred tactical approach.
Complaints from Yanga supporters also began to grow over some of the coach’s selection decisions, including leaving out Yao Kouassi during the league match against Simba despite his strong performance in the Muungano Cup final.
One of the directives reportedly issued by the club’s management to the technical bench was to rotate players more effectively based on the team’s needs in order to maintain squad sharpness. Some players had gone long periods without playing, while others were used continuously, leading to fatigue and injury concerns.
Gonçalves managed Yanga in 19 league matches, winning 14 and drawing five. Despite those results, many believe his departure was largely influenced by his personal management decisions and his determination to stick to his tactical philosophy rather than adapting to what the club and supporters expected from the team.
