adminTadious Manyepo Sports Reporter
ENGLISHMAN Mark Harrison says he was left without any choice after Highlanders approached him to consider suspending the contract he signed with the club earlier this year.
The two parties put their deal on hold, on the recommendations of the Bulawayo giants, and the gaffer is now expected to fly back home to England.
The nomadic coach only took charge of one match, during his stay at Bosso, when he guided his team in the Castle Cup Challenge match against FC Platinum at Barbourfields in March.
Highlanders lost that game, which was marred by crowd trouble, 0-2 with Silas Songani on target for the Zvishavane miners.
Harrison’s contract with Bosso was suspended early this week after the external sponsors, who pay the Englishman’s salary, indicated they were no longer in a position to do that.
Those external benefactors, who have been paying the salary in foreign currency, have had their financial capacity eroded by the closure of businesses after the Covid-19 outbreak around the world.
The benefactors have business interests in South Africa, Botswana and the United Kingdom, three countries which have been badly affected by the lockdowns imposed to curb the Covid-19 outbreak.
Highlanders are also battling to find how they will balance their books after their flagship sponsors, NetOne, indicated they were pulling out of football sponsorship from the end of this year.
NetOne have said they will, instead, be directing their funds into the battle to try and contain the spread of the coronavirus in the country.
The company have also been sponsoring CAPS United, paying the salaries for the Green Machine and Bosso players and officials, in the past few years.
Black Rhinos were also recipients of the NetOne funding last year while the company also sponsored Chapungu, who were relegated at the end of the season. Reports yesterday appeared to suggest the Bosso players are still to receive their salaries for April.
The Bulawayo giants appear to have been hit by serious financial challenges given all their junior team coaches also quit the club in the past few weeks.
Some of the coaches have moved to join a Division Two side.
Yesterday, Harrison told The Herald he was left with no option but to return home.
“To be frank, it was the club which brought that (the suspension proposal) to me, not me to them,” said Harrison.
“They (Highlanders) approached me, they have an external sponsor who pays my salary.
“I am paid in United States dollars.
“So you know, their (external sponsor) businesses are also struggling at the moment.
“They have businesses in South Africa, Botswana and the UK.
“The whole world is on lockdown and everybody’s business is on lockdown. So they (sponsors) are also finding things tough and they can’t afford to keep paying me while I am sitting doing nothing.”
Harrison said he will fly out to the UK on Saturday.
“You know, with the way things are at the moment,we don’t know when the league with start, maybe September to January we can’t really tell,” he said.
“No one knows what will happen. So, honestly, it’s difficult for a sponsor to be paying me while I am seated doing nothing in Zimbabwe.”
The gaffer dismissed rumours he had been sounded by a Kenyan club and insisted his contract with Highlanders has not been cancelled but only suspended.
“So the club came to me and asked whether I can consider suspending the contract and make some agreements to lease me back to the UK, for the time, until when things normalise.
“That is what we did. That is the truth. People will say anything but, that’s the truth.
“There is no other option, I have to go back to the UK on Saturday.”
Harrison is widely considered as a nomadic coach and has been in charge of both CAPS United and Harare City on the domestic front.
He has also had stints in South Africa and Botswana.
Online Reporter