Zahovaiko appointed Real de Banjul Head Coach
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 in The Gambia and the club has to always be on top so, my task is not only to develop players but also to achieve best results that’s means our target for the coming season is to win the league, for sure. That’s why I am here.”
Real de Banjul’s 2nd Vice President Bakary K. Jammeh said Zahovaiko’s technical competence and how he helped developed Paide to where it is today, matches with the same ambitions of the Club and believes will help raise the level of the players.
“In line with our strategic objective which is to further improve our team, we want not only be a professional club but to be a sub-regional powerhouse, that means on the African continent to get to the point that we are seen as one of the biggest clubs in Africa and also in the development of our strategy to ensure that we turn as much of our players professional, to be able to play in bigger leagues in Europe and elsewhere and that is why we decided within our cooperation with Paide Linnameeskond that this year we will have a coach from Estonia in the calibre of Vjatšeslav Zahovaiko and now we have Slava with us not only to coach our A team but to be able to help us to further furnish the culture of our club particularly the mentality and the works of the coaching staff who we continue to improve their coaching capacity and also have a culture of professional coaching,” Jammeh said.
Our Club’s 2nd Vice President added: “Certainly having someone to the pedigree of Slava will help in that. As a club, we are very excited that this is happening because what we are trying to do for the players is, when you look at their journeys, they will be playing in the league (in the Gambia) and they will go on trials where they will be exposed to new methods both on and off the field but now with Slava coming here, those methods will be taught here even before they go and it will be easier for their adaptation.”
Under Zahovaiko, Paide, established itself as one of the top teams in the Estonian top flight, finishing 5th in 2018, 4th in 2019, 2nd in 2020 and 3rd in 2021, earning their first ever European place, playing in the UEFA Europa League qualifiers where they were edged out by Lithuanian side FK Žalgiris Vilnius.
During his playing days, Zahovaiko featured for FC Flora, Kuwait Sporting Club, U.D. Leiria, Debrecen FC and Kuopion Palloseura before hanging his boots with Paide Linnameeskond in 2016. He has also played for the Estonia national team, featuring 39 times, scoring 8 goals. He is the second highest goal scorer in the Estonian top flight league football with 211 goals scored in 309 appearances.
Everyone at Real de Banjul will like to wish Vjatšeslav Zahovaiko all the best of luck as he immediately takes charge of the team.