East End Lions part ways with Coach Francis Zappa Koroma

East End Lions Football Club, on Saturday, February 18, 2023, announced the departure of head coach, Francis Zappa Koroma after a mutual agreement between both parties. 

This comes following a discussion between Coach Zappa and the board and it was reckoned that the team’s performance this season has fallen short of expectations, and therefore, it is in the best interest of both parties to go separate ways.

According to East End Lions Head of Media and Communications, Alhassan Idris Bangura, the club has announced Zappa’s assistance, Coach Raymond Gerald Hunter as interim head coach of the first team. 

It is also stated that while the search for a permanent successor has already commenced, the club would not forget to appreciate Coach Zappa for his dedication and hard work during his tenure with the Lions. 

“The search for a permanent successor has already commenced, and we will keep our supporters updated as the process develops. Our primary focus is to ensure that our talented squad reaches its full potential,” said Bangura. 

Zappa’s departure came just a day after a shameful 1-0 defeat against Ports Authority FC at the Brima Attouga Mini Stadium. A couple of weeks before that, the home fans of the Killers demonstrated clearly that they are not pleased with the team’s overall performance in the ongoing league campaign, as they wildly chanted “Zappa Must Go” just before the team lost its following two league matches. 

Being the head coach of 13 league matches for the Lions this season, Zappa left with the club currently in 4th place (10 points behind league leaders Bo Rangers FC who have a game at hand) of the Sierra Leone Premier League. The 48-year-old managed to Win 5 matches out of 13 league matches played, drawing 5 and losing three.