Online Reporter
Veronica Gwaze
Zimpapers Sports Hub
BENJANI Mwaruwari has been thrust into a boiling pot after being handed a performance-based contract at Highlanders.
He has been given to collect specific points after five games.
If he fails to meet the target after match day five, a leeway will be extended to 10 games with the hope that the coach rescues the situation.
Club CEO Denzel Mkandla told Zimpapers Sports Hub that the agreement between Highlanders and Benjani allows the employer to then terminate the contract should the coach fail to deliver.
“This is our position as Highlanders, we are independent in making our decisions as we strive to advance the club’s vision,” he said.
“The sponsor is also aware of these contractual stipulations, we talked with him, likewise the coach, and we are all in agreement of the clauses and the proposed action.
“The sponsor made it clear that he has no intention of owning Highlanders or taking over control, he is a sponsor and he said he wants to stick to just that so yes we are very independent in our decision making.”
Although Mkandla could not reveal the specific number of points that Benjani has been tasked to collect in the first 10 games, the club, he notes, aims to finish the season in the top five.
“In a way we want to believe that a coach like Mwaruwari, someone who played the game locally and abroad has an in-depth understanding of what we want,” he said.
“It has been years since we last bagged silverware and we hope that having been attached to better clubs abroad and coaching Ngezi before, he has something to offer.
“In light of all this, the new coach is actually under pressure to deliver but we are entirely behind him to give all the support we can.”
Highlanders are almost guaranteed a good season financially after receiving a massive US$300 000 financial injection and a new team bus from philanthropist Wicknell Chivayo
“We are currently ensuring that the team has the best preseason so that when the campaign gets underway, they will be in the best form,” said Mkandla.
“This time we have everything in place and we are also busy on the market, guided by the technical team of course as we bolster our squad.”
