BY: Media Officer Foday Jatta Real de Banjul Head Coach Vjatšeslav Zahovaiko says he is surprised how quickly the City Boys’ players have understood his instructions and tactics after just a few days of working with them at the Live Your Dream Sports Academy in Basori. The Estonian tactician, who’s also known as ‘Slava’, went straight to work after he was unveiled as the club’s new head coach and manager last week and has already to put in place a structure at the club by creating a team and putting across his ideas in time before the start of the 2022/23 GFF League Division One season. The 40-year-old had the chance to meet and familiarize himself with the players and also try to get first hand information of the players he will be managing. “I am really happy with the first week. I need a little bit of time to get to know each player but with everyday going by, I am understanding who is who. I am really happy with the attitude of the boys and they’re really training well. Yes, we have some adjustment to make, it’s not easy for them and for me as well but they listen, they understand and that’s the most important thing at the moment. So, I am really glad with this week,” Zahovaiko said. The former Paide Linnameeskond coach added: “We can always debate about talent and everyone sees differently but for my experience, what talent means for me is you’re hardworking. If you work hard, you can find many good things about yourself. So, everything starts with the attitude and hard work and I have already seen that.” Slava admits he’s also taken aback by how quick the playing group understand his instructions, saying: “We haven’t talk about ideas until Friday, the fifth day of training. We played a big game 11 against 11 and I gave some assignments for one group and I was very surprised, really surprised how they took this information. They are very smart boys and for me, this very promising with the way they react. They are eager to learn, I have seen that too. I have seen that the players also accepted me into the team, so I am happy and I really also hope that the players feel the same because this is important.” Goalkeeper Lamin Saidy meanwhile is a fan of Zahovaiko’s personality and he thinks they are lucky to have him at Real de Banjul. “He is a great coach. So far the way things are going is promising and he’s a down to earth person, he has empathy and he brings himself to our level which will help us a lot to connect with him. He has a good communication skills with the way he makes us understand what he wants to be done. It’s easy but as time goes on we’ll understand better how he wants us to play.” Saidy added: “He’s teaching us how to be behave professionally off…

BY: Media Officer Foday Jatta Real de Banjul Football Club is delighted to confirm the appointment of Vjatšeslav Zahovaiko as the Club’s new Head Coach and Manager for the upcoming season. Zahovaiko flew into the country for the first time earlier this week and he is expected to guide the team into the 2022/23 Gambia Football Federation League Division One season as well as being responsible for managing the affairs of all of the Club’s youth categories. The 40-year-old former footballer takes up the reigns of leadership at Real de Banjul after leaving our Estonian partner-club, Paide Linnameeskond, on mutual terms in December 2021. His arrival into the country happened through a technical cooperation with Paide Linnameeskond which will see Real de Banjul benefiting from technical assistance amongst others. Vjatšeslav Zahovaiko, commonly called Slava, is one of the most exciting coaches in the game and he is a UEFA Pro Licence holder. He was responsible for the development and giving chances to two former Real de Banjul players in Alassana Jatta and Muhammed Sanneh during their time in Paide before their eventual moves to Danish club Viborg FF and Czech side FC Baník Ostrava respectively. On becoming Real de Banjul’s new gaffer, Slava said: “It feels really good to be here. So far the impression is really nice and the people in the club look to be very ambitious. Since I arrived here, they have provided me with a lot of information which I am analysing and the first thing I want to do is to quickly get to know my staff members. I need to introduce to them the way I work and they have to feel that I trust them and of course I need to feel that they trust me too. I also need to find a good language with my staff members, because without them I cannot achieve anything”. He added: “We have to build together a good environment and be patient with the players because nothing comes easy overnight. So, the primary thing is to organize good training sessions here and I believe it will take a little bit of time but I’m sure we will handle that because that is the foundation to develop the players in a proper way. I am interested in hardworking because I have a reputation of being a very demanding coach and I always put my targets as high as possible. I believe in hard work and the players also have to believe in what we are doing and be disciplined!” When asked about his feeling when he first heard of the interest from Real de Banjul, he said: “I was very surprised in the beginning but I didn’t hesitate with the answer to say yes to the job because I really wanted to come here. This is not a touristic visit and that is why I am prepared mentally to work here and achieve new heights with the club. I think Real de Banjul is a great club…