Top coach called Chiefs to apologise on behalf of Ntwari but insists ‘footballers are human beings’

Rwanda coach Adel Amrouche has come out strongly defending his goalkeeper, Fiacre Ntwari, owing to what happened on Sunday during the Carling Knockout Round of 16 game against Stellenbosch.

Kaizer Chiefs technical team wanted to replace the 26-year-old with Bruce Bvuma for the penalty shootout, but the Amavubi custodian refused, insisting he was okay to continue with his duties between the posts.

The Glamour Boys went on to lose the shootout 5-4, with Stellenbosch getting their quarter-final ticket.

Fans have reacted differently to that incident, but Amavubi coach has stood with his player and revealed what he did to ensure things don't get out of proportion at the club, which might jeopardise his chances to continue at the club.

Ntwari was in his game

“The first thing I did was speak with the goalkeeper coach (Ilyes Mzoughi) because I was following the game closely,” he said as quoted by Soccer Laduma.

“I also spoke with Fiacre, as I always do before and after his matches. He didn’t do it out of disrespect – not towards the coach or anyone. He was simply in his game at that moment.  

“When you’re a footballer, you have that feeling inside you. He was in that zone. You could see it from the start – he was focused and kept a clean sheet and had a good game overall. He went on to save the first penalty. That’s very important in football; it gives the team spirit and confidence,” he added.

Footballers are humans, not robots

The tactician further admitted that Ntwari might have overstepped his mandate, but insisted there was no way he could have saved all the penalties to help the Glamour Boys make the last eight of the annual competition.

“He’s not Superman; he can’t save every penalty. I’m not saying he was right, but I understand him,” Amrouche continued.

“Footballers are human beings – not robots. They act with emotion. I spoke with the Kaizer Chiefs goalkeeper coach afterwards, and he was very professional about it. He also used to be a goalkeeper, so he understood.

“I called the coach to say sorry, that my goalkeeper is not a bad person. He told me, ‘Coach, it’s okay – I took it positively.’ That’s the kind of respect we have. We’re all here to build.”

The important thing is that Ntwari performed well

“When Kaizer Chiefs need him, they find their goalkeeper ready. I give him games in the national team, even when he’s on the bench at his club, because I want to help him. And he helps the team. He’s played against Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Algeria; big games. That's an experience for him and also for the club. In that way, I’m helping Kaizer Chiefs too,” the former Kenya coach stated.

“After being on the bench for so long, he came back, kept a clean sheet, and gave his team a mental advantage by saving the first penalty. That’s the most important one – it gives confidence to the others. We shouldn’t look at small negatives. The important thing is he performed well.

“Don’t kill your players – support them. The coach handled it well; he understood that this is football. These things happen. You must also trust the feeling of your players – they are the ones on the field. So, let’s take it positively, not negatively. What matters is that everyone acted with respect,” Amrouche concluded.