Kokoyo lauds Ali appointment
Ulinzi Stars defender Geoffrey Kokoyo has welcomed the arrival of Salim Ali at the club and hopes that the coach will help the side rediscover past glories.
Ali was named Ulinzi tactician on Christmas day, replacing Sammy Simiyu, who will serve as the former’s assistant.
He takes over at the club after a few months out of a job after being sacked by Sofapaka in midway through the 2012 season. Kokoyo has seen the best of the best in the local coaching scene, and has plenty of respect for his new boss.
“I welcome Salim Ali to the club,” said Kokoyo. “When we were informed of the changes we felt sad for Sammy who tried his best to lift the club after the bad start last season. But at least we are happy that he remains a part of the club.”
“As for Ali, he is a good young coach who has been at some of the top clubs in Kenya. I trust that with his arrival we can improve,” he added.
Kokoyo was heavily disappointed with the outcome of the recently concluded campaign, and hopes Ulinzi can rectify their shortcomings.
“We were all hurt by what happened last season. Fact is that we should have done better but we did not and it is something we have to improve on. All the players here know that they will have to do better in the coming season and that is what we will work on,” he concluded.
Ulinzi finished sixth in the standings, down from first and second in the 2010 and 2011 seasons respectively.
