‘Gumbo was always talking about money’

Ellina Mhlanga Sports Reporter
CHEGUTU Pirates chairman Musiiwa Dube says although they are facing financial challenges, they expect their team to start producing good results.Pirates fired their coach Tavaka Gumbo after a poor run by the team and brought back Gipter Raiva who once worked with the team when it was in Division Two and was the man behind the side’s promotion.

Raiva was in charge of the team’s weekend game assisted by Edward Kazava and they lost 0-2 to DC Academy.

However, Dube said they have given the coaches up to mid-season to steer the team to a better position.

They are languishing bottom of the log with three points from nine games.

“We have given them up to the window period then we sit down and review their performance. The issue of money is true, we don’t have money but we have to play football.

“We expect results not to get into the Premiership, we are not putting pressure on them. We want their results to be commensurate with what we are giving them.

“We don’t want our team to be relegated,” said Dube.

Pirates team manager Emmanuel Gutu said his team lacks depth.

“We are expecting results, actually we thought if we appoint new people results will come because Gumbo after eight games had three out of a possible 24 points.

“Maybe fortunes will change. Tavaka Gumbo is the one who signed those players now we where asking him why the team is not performing and from my point of view, there is no quality in the team.

“We lost eight players but we blame him because we asked him, do these players that you have signed have the quality? When he signed those players he said he doesn’t want interference and he did it on his own. He hired people from outside the (Chegutu) community.

“We told him we are bringing in a new technical team and give them some games like we did with you. It’s not like we did not like him but he was always talking about money. He couldn’t understand so we had to bring in someone who can motivate the players, we did not have any grudges with him.

“This team is sponsored by City Council and we don’t have money. We are just living on US$10 allowances so we said if you can’t motivate players to play without money we will find someone who can motivate the players to play and win without money.

“When the money comes we will give them,” said Gutu.

Pirates lock horns with ZRP Morris tomorrow in Chakari and the coaches will be hoping for a positive result.