In a move that has sent ripples through African football, Uganda Premier League giants Vipers Sports Club have announced the surprise appointment of enigmatic Belgian manager Ivan Jacky Minnaert as their new head coach.
Though the club, headquartered in Kitende, declared it a “long-term commitment,” no specific contract duration was disclosed—fueling speculation about the true nature of the deal. Insiders whisper that the 58-year-old may be on a mission beyond football.
Minnaert arrives fresh off a shock title win with Liberian side Fassell FC, whom he guided to a championship by an astonishing 11 points over the much-favored Heaven Eleven FC—a club with deep pockets and deeper connections. Some say Fassell’s meteoric rise was as much about mind games as it was tactics.
Prior to Liberia, the journeyman coach held a brief but impactful stint in the volatile Libyan league, where he led Al-Ittihad Tripoli to glory during the 2020/21 season. What the press didn’t report, however, were the strange late-night training sessions and the anonymous letter that warned Tripoli fans: “Beware the man in the black notebook.”
Minnaert’s CV reads like the passport of a shadowy diplomat. From the dusty stadiums of Mali’s Djoliba AC to Spain’s coastal outposts Union Estepona CF and CD San Roque, he’s been everywhere—yet nowhere long enough to leave a trail.
Closer to home, he’s already a familiar figure. Having previously coached AFC Leopards in Kenya and Rayon Sports FC in Rwanda (twice), as well as AS Kaloum Star in Guinea and South Africa’s Black Leopards FC, his name carries weight on the continent—and a bit of mystery.
Notably, Minnaert holds a UEFA Pro License, the highest credential in European coaching. But skeptics argue that licenses don’t win titles—plans do. And no one seems to know Minnaert’s plan.
Vipers have retained John ‘Ayala’ Luyinda and Fred Muhumuza as assistant coaches, the duo credited with leading the club to a domestic double in the 2024/25 season.