Chronicle Editor
Mehluli Sibanda, Senior Sports Reporter
IN a move he described as a home return, ex-Zimbabwe international defender, Noel Kaseke has signed a two-year contract as an assistant coach with his former club, Dibba Al-Hisn who play in the United Arab Emirates First Division.
Kaseke, who is in the country, will soon be heading off to the UAE city of Fujairah where Dibba Al-Hisn are based for the pre-season. The 38-year-old is excited about his return to the club he represented from 2014 to 2016.
“It’s like going back home, it’s quite a familiar place, the people there, they were good to me and my family. We are grateful and thankful always for every opportunity that I get.
God gives and takes so I am grateful for what God has given me, it’s not everyone who has that opportunity,’’ Kaseke said.
Kaseke recently parted ways with another UAE First Division club, Al Hamriya where he was an assistant coach. He left together with head coach Suliman Hadji, the same man he will be working with at Dibba Al-Hisn.
Despite getting offers to become a head coach from some clubs in UAE, Kaseke feels he still has a lot to learn from Hadji.
“I am moving with the same coach, even though I got an offer but at the same time the coach that I worked with, Suliman, he has been a purpose to me in terms of my transition from being a player to a coach and we have worked well, very supportive and I am learning a lot from him.
I could have taken that offer but I feel I am more valuable at the moment working with him as we did very well working together. I think there is a still a lot more that we are going to achieve together,’’ he said.
On what his desire is at Dibba Al-Hisn, Kaseke expressed his desire to take his former club back to the professional league. At the same time he wants to get the players to enjoy playing the game.
“We want that when people watch our team, they must enjoy, let them enjoy watching our football team because I believe the most important thing why I took up football is because I enjoyed playing. At the end of our tenure, first of all let the love of football in the players still be there and even more, I want to say one day I improved so and so. We want to improve the players and put that club back where it belongs in the professional league.”
At the moment, Kaseke is keeping himself busy by assisting with coaching at Zifa Southern Region Division One side Indlovu Iyanyathela and at Christian Brothers College where he is working with the private school’s first team.
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