Javier Martinez Espinoza is the first Mexican tactician to be hired by a top-flight football team in Uganda, reports JOHN VIANNEY NSIMBE.

On Monday, August 6, Vipers Sports Club unveiled 46-year-old Javier Martinez Espinoza on a two-year deal at the St Mary’s stadium in Kitende.

The unveiling occasion was capped by a sumptuous luncheon immediately after Martinez treated the media to a delightful juggle of the ball. This thrilled, but Vipers will be looking to see how his Latin football background influences the club going forward.

“I coach my teams to be offensive, and to press the ball high, so that they try to win it back as soon as they lose it. I like a high-intensity game, where we also keep the ball well,” Martinez said.

Summarily, Vipers are aiming to play an entertaining brand of football.

“While we won the league last season, we have moved on to bigger targets,” Lawrence Mulindwa, the club president, said.

He added: “Our former coach Miguel Da Costa took us to a certain level, and we are thankful. But by bringing in Martinez, we are looking at making the next step of progress.”

Eddy Butindo, the Vipers technical director, said Martinez comes in because the Mexican prides himself in teaching players, having worked in academy teams for long at top clubs like Cruz Azul and Pachuca, reportedly.

“Man-management is crucial for any coach to succeed, and Martinez appears to connect well with players going by his background. He is also a teacher. At Vipers, we want to see players improve, so that, like the president said, we are able to produce fully-fledged professionals, that can play in some of the top leagues around the world,” Butindo said.

In addition, Mulindwa said if Vipers exports players, The Cranes will benefit. Perhaps, how Martinez and his Latin football orientation influences the style of play at Vipers, will confirm why Vipers hired him.

Butindo said while football is a global language that follows standard principles,  Martinez can bring a good mix to the team. Butindo added that every football region around the world has specific technical attributes.

Therefore, without boasting that after Martinez’ two-year contract Vipers should be playing tiki-taka, Butindo said they want to have a team with players, that show better game intelligence, and can blend in well many tactical attributes, which make them an efficient and formidable side.     

Vipers will be playing in the Caf Champions League next season. And even without admitting it, the nuance in Mulindwa’s submission, suggested they needed a higher-class tactician than Da Costa.

When Da Costa arrived at Vipers in March 2017, he did not have a clear coaching background, let alone a Wikipedia account, to show his credentials.