Ex-Hearts coach Kenichi Yatsuhashi has launched a sensational attack on Ifeanyi Ubah, labelling the Nigerian side worse than his former club.
The 46-year-old left his post after just one month in charge over disagreements with the club’s top hierarchy.
The Japanese trainer accused the management of interfering with player selection and felt he was being undermined.
And the American-trained tactician has lashed out at the club for the turn of event.
“There are several negative reports out there in Nigeria about me since I joined FC Ifeanyi Ubah and I need to respond to them. When I joined the club, there were massive interferences by the management with regards to player selections which brought about disagreements at meetings, and I was almost hit by one of the people around who claimed to be a former player of Parma,” Kenichi told Goal.
“I still chose to resist some directives like training twice a day because we only had two weeks to prepare and it resulted in different issues. The players would’ve broken down if I had complied.
“Salaries were cut off, promises made to me and the team were never delivered. Also, there were lies through the local media and few of the fans that I’m very bad and rude because I objected their autocratic ways. Chukwuma D. Ubah, chairman of the club verbally asked me to leave after our second match in the 2016 NPFL Super 4 tournament, and I agreed to leave. He thought I would resist and probably beg to stay but that is not me. Honestly, these people are worse than Hearts of Oak.
“According to Chukwuma, my contract had not started yet because it was stipulated that it will begin when the league kicks off and my future will then be decided on the performance of the club. I did not utter anything to him, but even with this, they refused to buy me a ticket back to Japan until I threatened to send them to Fifa for damages,” he added.
“It was reported by some media outlets that the players complained that my training style was too physical and my tactics were poor but that wasn’t the issue. Rather, that was what the management wanted the supporters to believe and gave such news to some people. In fact, the key players who were with the club last season told me that they believe they will stand a better chance to win the league and Confederation Cup since fitness is very key. I encountered same at Hearts but after five matches, we were at the top of the log and the same people started praising me.”
Yatsuhashi joined the rich-Nigerian club after terminating his contract with Ghanaian giants Hearts of Oak.