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Ricky Zililo Senior Sports Reporter
STRUGGLING Castle Premier Soccer League side Bulawayo Chiefs have parted ways with their two assistant coaches.
The ambitious outfit have gone for six games without a win, with their last victory being the 2-0 over FC Platinum on February 13.
They have since parted ways with head coach Nilton Terroso’s assistants Mark Mathe and Farai Tawachera.
Terroso survived the chop for the team’s string of poor results, with the axe falling on his assistants Mathe and Tawachera.
The final straw for the pair was the team’s 1-2 defeat to Black Rhinos in a league match at Sakubva last Saturday.
The loss added Chiefs’ win-less streak to six games.
Terroso missed the encounter as he is in his native Portugal attending the Uefa Pro licence coaching course.
Chiefs relieved Mathe and Tawachera of their duties on Monday and quickly roped in their former head coach Thulani Sibanda, who they had fired in September last year.
Chiefs severed ties with Sibanda and his technical team that included Effort Murindagumo and Zivanai Chivanzi, to pave way for Terroso, Mathe and Tawachera.
Dumisani Mantula-Sibanda, the Chiefs’ secretary, said the dismissed pair of Mathe and Tawachera failed to meet expectations.
Asked why the head coach, who is responsible for results, survived the chop, Mantula-Sibanda said: “We still believe that coach Terroso still has a lot to offer to the project and that is why after doing our assessment we felt that Mathe and Tawachera lacked certain attributes we wanted to drive the project.
‘‘Please note that Mathe and Tawachera are not bad coaches, but as a club we had to take a decision that is good for the club. I must hasten to say Terroso never recommended severing ties with Mathe and Tawachera; it was a management decision.
“We’ve also kept Terroso so that he imparts his knowledge to the local coaches such that when he leaves, our guys are better equipped with the knowledge he has so that there’s continuity.”
The writing was on the wall for Mathe and Tawachera when they were left out for the Matchday 7 away assignment against ZPC Kariba.
Although Mantula-Sibanda declined to comment on the exclusion of Mathe and Tawachera for the trip to Kariba where they played to a 0-0 draw, sources said the players had expressed disappointment after being sprayed with “holy water” by one of the assistant coaches.
When the Chiefs management met the players, they were informed that there were divisions in camp, with cliques belonging to either Mathe or Tawachera.
The re-engagement of Sibanda is meant to address dressing room divisions and assist Terroso turn around the fortunes of the club.
Chiefs take on Ngezi Platinum Stars at home in their next league assignment, with Terroso set to watch the game from the terraces as he is only expected to arrive from Portugal on Sunday morning.
Sibanda, who was introduced to the players on Monday and started work yesterday, will be in charge of the team against Ngezi.
“We know Thulani’s capabilities, hence we sought to bring him back home because he also understands Bulawayo Chiefs’ culture. Obviously when he left, we differed in views, but in football there are no permanent enemies or friends. He (Thulani) is always a ‘Ninja’ and what is important is that he has agreed to understudy Terroso and work together in a healthy environment with the head coach,” said Mantula-Sibanda.
Chiefs are currently 12th on the league table with nine points off nine games and trail log leaders Chicken Inn by 12 points.
But Chiefs still believe they can salvage something from this season.
“Results haven’t been great, but we believe we can put our campaign back on track.
‘‘We’re in a precarious position, but we believe the team can turn the leaf. Our supporters, partners and management want positive results and that can be achieved if we work hard and keep supporting the lads,” Mantula-Sibanda said.
Online Reporter