Coach Simon ‘Dunga’ Dungu is only but waiting to be officially unveiled as the next Mbale Heroes head coach, The-SportsNation can reliably confirm.
Though the team has not yet started training, as the coach has also not been announced yet, Dunga has already started work.
The Singo Ssaza tactician has been heavily involved in the ongoing transfer bussiness at the Mbale-based club, alongside Technical Director Chemisto Badru, also simply known as Bado.
Together, the two are assembling a team that they believe will be strong enough to fight for Uganda Premier League qualification, having made it to the FUFA Big League under peculiar cirmustannces this past season.
The Mbale-based club have also understandably made it clear to the new coach that they are mostly interested in promotion to the top division and nothing less than that.
Mbale Heroes previous coach Abbey Kikomeko Bogere left with none of his assistants to BUL, so goalkeeping coach Frank Ssebagala, former players Edgar Sharp Bwogi and Jajja Walusimbi could all continue with the club as assistants, if they can work together with Dunga and vice versa.
This website has also established that The Surgeons were initially interested in bringing coach Zungu to Mbale, but he chose to go to Rwanda instead. Former Blacks Power and BUL coach Peter Onen was also among the alternatives, but the club settled for their former tactician.
The new Mbale Heroes coach is not really new in the city, he has remarkably worked with the club before.
The Surgeons’ fans particularly know him very well! They fancied his free-flowing ‘tiki-taka’ style of football.
In the 2021/22 season, Mbale Heroes was a team so hard to beat. Dunga was their coach, and CRO’s ‘San Siro’ ground in the outskirts of the town was their fortress. They won games, and played very beautiful football to reach the Uganda Cup last eight, and were only unlucky to narrowly lose 1-0 to Jinja North in the promotional playoff.
Dunga consequently departed Mbale, joined Regional League side Kiyinda Boys and guided them to the Big League, now he’ll meet them again as opponents next season as he returns to Mbale Heroes where the fans are so excited about his resurgence.
It’s last (2022/23) season under Bogere that The Surgeons eventually qualified to the Big League, but the fans insist it’s the previous season, under Dunga that they played better football. Sounds abit insane, but makes so much sense, technically.
Whether or not ‘The Brazilian’ will stick to his ‘kawoowo’ style of football in the sophisticated Big League is what we can all only wait to see after the new season starts, but the experienced coach, for now we can say is a big hit for The Surgeons. No doubt!
Dunga will be in charge as the team prepares to start their preseason arrangements early next month.
Over the years, Dunga has made a very big name for himself in the Masaza tournament, he has won the competition before with Gomba, and also been in charge of various Ssaza sides including Mawogola, Mawokota, Buddu and Busiro.
He has also formerly managed KJT and Nkozi University.
