'They called me an ape': Coach in Zanzibar 'banned for 6 months' for stripping down to underwear to goad ex-team in celebrations

A football coach in Zanzibar has reportedly been slapped with a six-month ban for wild victory celebrations which included stripping down to his pants and thrusting his crotch at fans of a club which previously sacked him.

Mani Gamera led his Miembeni team to a 1-0 win against former club Jang’ombe in the Zanzibar Premier League, sparking raucous celebrations that the ecstatic Gamera then appeared to take a little bit too far.

The coach was seen running over to opposition fans at the final whistle, pounding his chest violently before thrusting his groin at supporters to show his disdain.

Gamera then went even further, pulling down his trousers to show his white underwear as concerned stewards rushed over to quell the situation.

But Gamera continued his goading, shoving a steward out of his way while gesturing to fans.

Not content with that, he then did the ‘Crawling Beast’ celebration – made famous by former Swansea striker Bafétimbi Gomis – along the touchline with fellow staff and Miembeni players.     

According to African football expert Salim Masoud Said, the OTT celebrations have landed Gamera a six-month suspension and $200 fine.

The manager defended himself afterwards, claiming fans at his former club had “rejected him” and called him “an ape.”      

"They rejected me by calling me an ape. Today the ape has taken off their clothes. And there's nothing they can do about it. I'm their husband and I'm their dad," he said.

Fans were impressed by Gamera's antics, however, hailing it as top-notch "sh*thousery." 

Gamera has been labeled ‘The Mourinho’ of Zanzibar football, but even the Portuguese firebrand would have raised an eyebrow or two at the level of Gamera’s celebrations.

Instead, they recalled similarly wild celebrations (minus the underwear exposure) by Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone in his team's Champions League victory over Juventus last season. 

'I did it to show we have cojones': Simeone explains crotch-grabbing UCL celebration (VIDEO)

On that occasion Simeone thrust his 'cojones' at the crowd to celebrate a first leg win, although Cristiano Ronaldo then did the same after his hat-trick in the second leg sent Juve through. Both Simeone and Ronaldo were fined by UEFA for their antics.