APR head coach Dusan Dule Suljagic has relinquished his position at the defending Rwandan league champions after six months.

The Serbian trainer left the country on Thursday with no communication whatsoever to the APR executive committee.

Club president Major General Jack Musemakweli and club secretary general Adolphe ‘Camarade’ Kalisa were surprised by Suljagic’s absence at the side’s evening training session at Ferwafa Ground without communication.

Close sources confirmed that Suljagic talked to them from Istanbul and confirmed that he had left the country.

Assistant coach Vincent Mashami was in charge of training on Thursday and will oversee the army side’s start to their title defence against Etincelles on Saturday in their season opener in Rubavu.

It is the second time an APR coach is quitting in the space of six months after Serbian Ljubomir Petrovic left the country without informing his employers in February.

Petrovic is renowned for winning the European Cup (now Uefa Champions League) with Red Star Belgrade in 1991 but his tenure at APR did not last long.

In his absence, Suljagic took over at APR in March guiding them to a record 15th league title before falling to Police FC in the semifinals of the Peace Cup after a 1-0 away loss to the law enforcers. They shared the spoils in a goalless draw in the return leg to ensure victory for Police who went on to defeat Rayon Sports 1-0 in the final.

Suljagic did not have it all rosy as APR succumbed to a humiliating 4-0 loss in the Cecafa Kagame Cup quarterfinals to debutants Al Khartoum of Sudan in July. The army side were finalists for two straight years in 2013 and 2014 in Sudan and Rwanda in that order.