Online Reporter
Blessing Malinganiza
Zimpapers Sports Hub
JOEL Luphahla has praised Norman Mapeza for building a “healthy” team at FC Platinum and leaving a strong foundation on which he will build his side.
Mapeza joined champions Scottland while Luphahla took over as FC Platinum gaffer.
“We are also happy and give credit to the departing coach, Norman Mapeza, he’s leaving a healthy team. We are grateful for that.
“We are not walking into a team that doesn’t have quality. The quality is there. These boys are multi, multi-talented.
“So, we’re happy that we are coming into a healthy institute. Yeah, I’m happy.”
Luphahla’s ideas lean heavily towards youth development.
He built his reputation on it, and he made clear that it will guide his work at Mandava.
“If you know my coaching history, I’m one coach who’s always worked with these young boys.
“I also had an academy a long time ago that produced a lot of good, good players that are now playing.
“Some are playing in the national team. So these are the things that I want to see. These are the developments that I want to get involved with.
“And I’m happy. I’ve seen the Under-15s, our Under-15s here.
“Good, good talent, massive talent. The under-17s and with the under 19s as well. So I’m hands on.”
He added:
“I’m going to be hands on and make sure that we transform these young boys.
“We want to give them hope. We want to promote as many as we can.
“But we want to try and make sure that we develop the quality from within, so that we give each and every boy from Zvishavane that dream, that chance that they can make it in football.”
Luphahla walked into Mandava last week with the energy of a man who knows what he wants and how he intends to rebuild the club.
This is only his second job as a top-flight league head coach, yet he already looks at home.
“I’m happy that I’m here and I’m sure you also saw that when we came in, we had to have sort of a training session or assessment for three days last week.
“Some people will think it was some trials of sort but we felt that we are coming into a new institute that the boys had gotten used to.
“There was a voice for ten years. And, obviously, we feel that we will need more time for these boys to understand us. We will need more time also for the team to that there’s now a change.
“So we felt that if the boys went on holidays off season without us meeting, it was going to be a tall order come January.”
Mathew Masinge