Online Reporter
Innocent Kurira, Zimpapers Sports Hub
THE latest Highlanders players’ strike has once again brought the issue of player welfare at the club into sharp focus, but amid the turmoil, coach Benjani Mwaruwari continues to soldier on, convinced that the project he started at Bosso is beginning to take shape.
Highlanders players refused to train this week over salary arrears, with the latest industrial action another sign of the frustrations that have continued to simmer inside the club.
It is not the first time the players have downed tools this season, with the repeated strikes increasingly becoming a worrying pattern and raising serious questions about player welfare.
A source close to the situation said Mwaruwari has himself been frustrated by the working environment, but remains committed to the project he is building at Highlanders.
“The coach has been frustrated by the working environment because the challenges have just kept piling up, but he continues to soldier on because he believes his project is starting to take shape. He can see the progress on the pitch and believes there is something he can build here, despite all the challenges coming his way,” said the source.
The coach’s resolve is now being tested once again, with Highlanders preparing for tomorrow’s Chibuku Super Cup first-round clash against Chicken Inn at Barbourfields under another cloud of uncertainty.
Highlanders leadership met on Thursday evening in an effort to find a solution to the salary impasse.
The hope at Bosso is that the matter can be resolved quickly and the players can return to training ahead of the derby.
Mwaruwari’s tenure has been anything but straightforward.
When he took charge, his immediate task was to steer Highlanders away from the relegation danger that had threatened the club last season.
He has done that, with Bosso now just three points away from the 40-point mark that should put their survival beyond doubt.
There is still the possibility of a respectable league finish, with a top-eight position within reach and a top-four finish not entirely out of the question.
But getting the team to that position has required Mwaruwari to navigate much more than what happens on the pitch.
He has dealt with player strikes, administrative instability and the devastating loss of chairman
Kenneth Mhlophe, vice chairman Fiso Siziba and treasurer Nkani Khoza in a tragic road accident.
Then came the Munhumutapa Cup disappointment.
Highlanders were knocked out by Southern Region Division One side BlackRock, ending another route to silverware and leaving the Chibuku Super Cup as their most realistic remaining opportunity to win a major trophy this season.
Now they must try to prepare for Chicken Inn.
The Gamecocks also enter tomorrow’s Barbourfields derby looking to recover from their own
Munhumutapa Cup disappointment after Ngezi Platinum Stars eliminated them on penalties.
Chicken Inn coach Tonderai Ndiraya is keeping his focus firmly on progression.
“We want to move step by step and our immediate objective is to qualify to the next stage of the tournament,” said Ndiraya.
He knows Sunday’s match will be difficult to predict.
“It’s a derby and naturally, derbies are unpredictable by nature. We are hoping to do our best to progress,” he said.
Ndiraya also confirmed that Binwell Katinji is nursing a hamstring injury, while Junior Makunike and Brendon Rendo have returned to full training.
For Highlanders, however, there is a bigger battle taking place away from the pitch.
The players have shown previously that they can produce results even after industrial action, but that is hardly a sustainable model for professional football.
Winning matches while players are unhappy about their welfare may demonstrate their character and commitment, but it should not become normal for a club of Highlanders’ stature.
