Barely six months into his tenure at APR, French coach Thierry Christian Froger is increasingly being challenged by the club's supporters, who are calling for him to be sacked despite APR's good results, despite leading the standings after 20 matches.
Thierry Froger was hired by APR last July on a one-year contract, but he is not unanimously acclaimed. However, the French tactician has achieved good results at the helm of the military club. After twenty games, APR are top of the table, six points clear of runners-up Rayon Sport. Plus a game in hand.APR also has the best attack (33 goals scored) and the best defence (12 conceded). Despite these good performances, fans are calling for Froger to be sacked.
Why are fans so frustrated?
Interviewed by Sport News Africa, APR fan Innocent Muganga says they no longer want Thierry Froger to win in pain. "It's true that we're top of the table, but we've drawn several games. And when we win, it's not with style. Froger doesn't reassure us. We've given him some good Rwandan and foreign players, unlike in previous years. But we can't see any changes in the game we're playing. When he took over, we lost the Super Cup and recently we also lost the final of the Heroes' Cup. Not to mention the humiliation we suffered in the Champions League against Pyramide (0-0, 6-1). He's got to go, we're tired", says this fan indignantly.
Another APR fan goes further, accusing Thierry Froger of favoritism. "How do you explain that our best defender, Salomon Charles Bienvenue Banga Bindjeme, isn't playing? He prefers to field less experienced players. Every time he's had a chance to play, he's proved he's an excellent defender. Thierry Froger's management is mediocre. We need a great coach who can take us at least to the group stage of the Champions League."
Asked to comment on the frustration of the club's supporters, APR president Colonel Richard Karasira explains: "I understand the frustration of our supporters. But they need to know that it's the coach (Thierry Froger) who chooses who plays. He's the boss. We're obliged to respect his choices. We can't interfere with his work. He has a one-year contract and we have to respect that."
Froger cries foul
On his part, Thierry Froger does not understand the reasons for such behavior on the part of the fans."My team is provisionally top of the league. We have the best attack and the best defense. Better still, we're in the quarter-finals of the Peace Cup, but the fans are calling for my head. The statistics speak in my favor.Isn't that unfair? I don't understand anything. Some people talk about my choices. Where I come from, it's the best who play. Some say that Bindjeme isn't playing, but that's not my fault. If he can't take the place of a twenty-year-old, what do they expect me to do? Fans have to be honest with themselves.
Between APR fans and coach Thierry Froger, the torch is burning, and we don't know until when? Club officials are trying to calm things down. But one thing is clear: stadium attendance is dropping by leaps and bounds, and the socios seem to have turned their backs on their beloved club.
