Source: Radio New Zealand
Auckland FC move on from fitness coach with months left in A-League season. www.ofcproleague.com
Auckland FC have parted ways with their inaugural head of performance midway through the A-League season.
Australian Elias Boukarim was credited with establishing a high-performance unit and running pre-season training sessions that players described as “hardest I’ve ever had”.
Boukarim left the club last week.
He had previously worked in the A-League with Western Sydney Wanderers and Sydney FC before arriving in Auckland.
Last year Auckland FC director of football Terry McFlynn told A-League media players took a while to get used to Boukarim.
“I think the first two, three weeks, the boys absolutely despised him, hated him. But once you get to know him and know that everything he’s doing is coming from a good place, and it’s to make you better, they all love him.”
The club said after Boukarim’s sudden departure he had returned to Sydney to be with family and would not discuss his exit further.
Boukarim’s role with Auckland FC involved fitness and injury prevention.
The club said the “wider coaching team” was filling Boukarim’s duties and recruitment for a replacement would happen at “some stage soon”.
Elias Boukarim, fourth from right in cap, with Auckland FC coaching staff in April. Andrew Cornaga/www.photosport.nz
The fitness of the Premiers Plate-winning playing squad last season was often referred to as a reason that the team could be competitive late in games.
Despite Auckland dropping competition points by conceding late goals in their second season in the league, coach Steve Corica brushed off suggestions fitness was a contributing factor to the lapses.
“That’s a tiring period for a team but I think we’re fit enough, it’s a mentality thing not to want to concede and be in the right spot, everyone working hard for each other I think is very important I think that’s part of our motto from the start and if everyone does that I think we start winning games again and get back to the top as soon as possible hopefully,” Corica said before Saturday’s 1-0 win over Sydney FC.
Last season the club had one major injury, with defender Dan Hall breaking his ankle in training and being sidelined for months.
This season captain Hiroki Sakai has battled with a hamstring injury that has kept him out of the side over two stints and Guillermo May has worked back from a knee injury.
Elias Boukarim, left, during an Auckland FC training session at North Harbour Stadium this season. RNZ / Marika Khabazi
Among the latest injuries are goalkeeper Oli Sail who has had season-ending knee surgery and defender Nando Pijnaker who was also injured in the same game as Sail and has a leg injury that prevented him playing last week.
Auckland are currently second on the A-League ladder and play Sydney FC in Sydney on Tuesday in a catch-up game for a match that was postponed in December due to poor pitch conditions.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
