Chuchu at Gaborone Utd

champions Gaborone United.
Exactly six months after he quit his post as Dynamos coach in a huff, Chiweshe officially became the Gaborone United mentor at the weekend with the 48-year-old gaffer inking a two-year deal.
Chiweshe’s manager, Gibson Mahachi, revealed yesterday that the coach had travelled to Botswana over the weekend and was expected to start work today ahead of the start of that country’s 2011-12 Premiership season.
Mahachi said Gaborone United, who last year crashed to Chiweshe’s Dynamos 4-2 on aggregate in a Champions League second round match, had been tracking the coach since that encounter between the two sides.
Chiweshe had resisted the temptation to join a local club after he ended his two-year-flirtation with Dynamos during which he won three cups and took them to the Champions League mini-league stage.
The former Eagles and Dynamos midfielder also guided the Harare giants to successive runners-up spots in the Premiership with Motor Action just edging his side for the championship on goal difference after the two teams were tied on points last year.
Mahachi said he was hopeful that Chiweshe would also quickly settle down to his new job at Gaborone United where will join fellow Zimbabwean and former Dynamos and Njube Sundowns striker Dylan Chivandire.
“Elvis got a two year deal that’s with effect from June 1 but he travelled to Botswana on Saturday and I am sure they will be starting their pre-season preparations tomorrow or Wednesday.
“I understand that their season is going to start early in July because of their national team’s qualification for the 2012 African Cup of Nations finals,” Mahachi said.
The Harare football agent, who also represents a number of players and manages former Warriors mentor Sunday Chidzambwa, said Gaborone United were eager to return to Champions League football after finishing fourth last season.
“The team’s management must have been impressed with him from the time that his Dynamos team played against Gaborone United and they have been trying to lure him to Botswana since the start of the year and I am sure they happy to have finally got their man.
“He will join Dylan who is already at the club but he has already hinted that he might get another local player to join him there as Gaborone United prepare for their next season.
“Elvis is very excited about his move . . . locally he had taken a break from coaching and I think to re-start his coaching career away from home will be refreshing for him.
“Who knows by the time he comes back, Dynamos will be after him again but for now his focus is on helping Gaborone United win titles again in Botswana after they had missed out on a chance to play in the Champions League,” Mahachi said.
Chiweshe was last night also expected to meet with the Gaborone United directors and be formally introduced to the rest of the club’s leadership.
Chuchu left DeMbare on December 27 last year when it emerged that the Glamour Boys’ management had been negotiating with other coaches, who were being lined up to replace him, without his knowledge. The Dynamos management then settled for Lloyd Mutasa following Chiweshe’s departure.
Chuchu had been elevated from being the juniors’ coach to replace David Mandigora who had taken Dynamos to a league and cup double in 2007 and to the 2008 Champions League semi-finals.
Mandigora had also guided Dynamos to a runners-up place behind Monomotapa in the Premiership.
When Chiweshe took over from Mandigora, it had been his second spell at Dynamos after the coach had quit in 2003.
But with Dynamos struggling for results and consistency under Mutasa and with the Glamour Boys having endured their worst Champions League run following their first round exit this year, comparisons have inevitably been drawn between the Chuchu era and the current rein under Mutasa.
In his opening nine games for Dynamos after he had replaced Mandigora in 2009, Chiweshe had collected 25 points from nine games having won eight and drawn once.
Last season, Chiweshe lost four times in 30 matches only to be piped for the title on goal difference by Motor Action.
DeMbare fans are now questioning their team’s pedigree to win the championship under Mutasa given that the former Kiglon and Highway coach has already lost four times and drawn as many matches in just 13 starts to leave Dynamos in sixth place with 19 points.