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Ricky Zililo, Senior Sports Reporter
BULAWAYO Chiefs Football Club assistant coach Thulani “Thuts” Sibanda has reportedly notified the financially troubled club that he will be leaving when his contract runs out on Saturday with reports linking him with a switch to Triangle United.
The 43-year-old’s likely departure comes as a surprise, having led Bulawayo Chiefs to their first major trophy in the Premiership, Chibuku Super Cup last month when they defeated Herentals 1-0 in the final played at Barbourfields Stadium.
Impeccable sources said Sibanda informed the club before Christmas that he will not be negotiating for a contract extension.
“Thuts (Thulani Sibanda) has told the club that when his contract expires on December 31, 2022 he will not be renewing it. He thanked the club for the opportunities availed to him to serve the club at different intervals. The club management will sit after the festive break to plan the way forward,” said the source.
Sibanda, who supervised three Chiefs’ Chibuku Super Cup matches, including the final in the absence of head coach Nilton Terroso could neither confirm nor deny that he is heading to Triangle United. He was in charge of Amakhosi Amahle’s quarter-final 1-0 win against Highlanders, penalty shootouts triumph over Black Rhinos in the semi-finals after the match had ended 0-0 in regulation time.
“I’m on holiday, attending to family issues. Can you call me after the New Year? That is when I’ll be able to answer any football related question. As of now, I’m sorry I just want to relax and focus on spending quality time with the family,” Sibanda said.
Sibanda leaves the club at a time when Bulawayo Chiefs had invested in his capacitation, paying for his Caf A Licence which he enrolled for last month in Tanzania. The coach spent two weeks in Tanzania and will finish his Caf A Licence course which has been split into four blocks in September next year.
Bulawayo Chiefs secretary Dumisani Mantula-Sibanda confirmed that their assistant coach’s contract expires on December 31, 2022 but couldn’t comment on communication that the latter will not be extending his stay.
“It is true that his contract is running out at the end of the month but we haven’t sat to plan the way forward. If he (Thulani Sibanda) indeed has alerted the club that he is leaving, then that communication must be in the office which I closed for the holidays. Once I get briefed, then I will call you,” said Mantula-Sibanda.
The Bulawayo Chiefs assistant joined the team in the Zifa Southern Region Division One League in April 2012, leading them to a fourth place finish. The following season Chiefs won the championship, but the club directors sold the Premiership franchise to Bantu Rovers.
In 2014, Sibanda joined Black Mambas, now known as ZRP FC in the Northern Region, when they were position 14 after 12 games and finished the season in fifth. He returned to Bulawayo Chiefs in 2015 and finished second to Bulawayo City.
In 2016, Sibanda left Bulawayo Chiefs at the top of the table after eight games to join Chicken Inn as assistant coach to Rahman Gumbo and was recalled by the club with 10 Division One games left. He then won Bulawayo Chiefs the PSL promotion ticket in 2017.
Sibanda, who rose into prominence in 2011 when he guided defunct Quelaton to the Zifa Southern Region Division One title that earned them a direct ticket into the Premiership, is a holder of a Scottish C-Licence and a Sports Science degree from the National University of Science and Technology (Nust). — @ZililoR
Online Reporter