Online Reporter
Innocent Kurira
Zimpapers Sports Hub
HIGHLANDERS have been plunged into fresh turmoil after players once again downed tools over outstanding salaries, throwing preparations for their next Castle Lager Premier Soccer League assignment against Triangle at Barbourfields on Sunday into chaos.
Sources inside the club say the playing squad, technical team and office staff have gone for two months without receiving salaries, triggering renewed unrest within the Bosso camp at a critical stage of the season.
Several senior players are said to have not pitched up for yesterday’s training session in protest over unpaid dues.
It is not the first time this season that players have taken industrial action over the same issue, pointing to a recurring financial challenge within the team environment.
The development has disrupted training schedules and further unsettled morale in a dressing room already battling for consistency on the pitch.
While the club traditionally handles winning bonuses, player salaries are administered through a separate funding arrangement.
However, delays in disbursement have left players increasingly frustrated, culminating in the latest action.
According to a source inside the club, the situation has reached a critical level.
“The players have gone for two months without their salaries. This has affected morale and preparation. It is also not the first time this season that they have resorted to downing tools over the same issue.
“In some instances, the coach has even had to use his own money to cover gaps just to keep things going,” said the source.
Efforts to get a comment from the club were fruitless, with executive chairman Kenneth Mhlophe referring questions to chief executive Denzil Mnkandla, who in turn was unreachable for a comment.
The financial impasse has compounded Highlanders’ struggles in a campaign that has lacked momentum both on and off the pitch.
On the field, Bosso have shown mixed fortunes, improving in attack but continuing to struggle defensively, particularly from set pieces, where they have conceded in their last three matches.
The inconsistency has seen them drop valuable points, with draws becoming a recurring theme in a season that has so far failed to take shape.
Highlanders have managed just one win in their opening 10 league matches, drawing eight, a record that reflects both resilience and frustration in equal measure.
For a club of Highlanders’ stature, the combination of financial instability and uneven performances threatens to derail any hopes of mounting a serious challenge this season.
As things stand, attention now shifts to whether the situation can be established in time to restore focus on the pitch, with unity and financial certainty becoming increasingly central to any recovery efforts.
Something is cooking in the background. Benjani once hinted on dark forces lurking behind in the Highlanders set up. People may want to pretend that it’s just poor management of things that is creating these disruptions but the problem is far greater than that. There is a hidden agenda between Highlanders management and Highlanders sponsors based on a primitive tribal based contestation. People want to pretend it has nothing to do with tribal politics but that’s just trying to hide behind a finger. This problem has sunk its roots deep in Highlanders management. Highlanders fans and players will attest to that. There are certain Highlanders administrators who did not and still don’t approve of the sponsorship set up and “donations” that came from certain people. There are people that believe Highlanders has been hijacked by people from Harare and its “Ndebele” complexion is fast diminishing. That’s where the problem lies. People may pretend not to see it but it will manifest itself very soon.