Bosso recruitment policy challenged

Sikhumbuzo Moyo
HIGHLANDERS Football Club has been urged to stop recruiting average players from outside Bulawayo at the expense of talented youngsters from within its ranks and the city. The call was made by soccer personality and former committee member Omega Sibanda who is also the chairman of the Player Agents Association of Zimbabwe.

The Bulawayo giants have in the past been accused of importing cheap and average labour from outside the city while ignoring its own talented youngsters from the junior ranks and Sibanda feels the policy must come to an end forthwith.

“As a Highlanders life member I think our recruitment policy needs to be reviewed because it’s negatively affecting us big time. We have a lot of talented youngsters from the juniors as well as within the city but we find ourselves rushing to bring in imported and average labour from outside. There is nothing wrong with imported labour but anyone who comes in from outside the system must be exceptionally talented not to come all the way to warm the bench or sit with us in the terraces,” said Sibanda who has also been accused by some sections of the Highlanders supporters of bringing in average players from outside the club system.

He however was reportedly frustrated by a Highlanders executive member when he tried to seal a deal between the Bulawayo giants and the country’s leading marksman Tendai Ndoro who is banging in the goals at Chicken Inn.

“I am also saying those boys who join Highlanders must be oriented into the system so that they understand what it means to play for this great club, we don’t want people who will be busy thinking about other teams to an extent of asking how those clubs played soon after a Highlanders match. The players need to understand that playing for Bosso is a huge responsibility and not child’s play. This is why you find players partying immediately after such a loss to our rivals Dynamos, that is so wrong. Nothing is wrong with them having a few drinks but they ought to know where to have those drinks,” said Sibanda.

Five Highlanders players Njabulo Ncube, Bhekimpilo Ncube, Hillary Madzivanyika, Simon Munawa and Archford Katsande were spotted having a nice time at a night club in the city centre on Sunday night, hours after the team had lost 0-1 to Dynamos in a league match at Barbourfields Stadium on Sunday.

Highlanders chairman Peter Dube expressed disappointment over the players’ conduct and promised to act on their behaviour and said the club needs cultured players.

Sibanda said it was important for the public to appreciate that calls for home grown talent at Highlanders had nothing to do with being tribal or regional.

“When we say we want our home boys first, we are not talking on tribal or regional lines but we want players who will understand the Highlanders culture, players who are from the juniors or locality, regardless of their tribe so this nonsense that Highlanders does not want Shona players must be dismissed with the contempt it deserves,” said Sibanda.

During the second transfer window, Highlanders offloaded Graham Ncube and brought in Tinashe Chipunza and Master Masitara from Botswana. The two players have however struggled for game time.