Chronicle Editor
Stanford Chiwanga, Online News Editor
FOR the older football fans, when the name Highlanders is mentioned, they think of Peter Ndlovu, Madinda Ndlovu, Bruce Grobbelaar, Mercedes ‘Rambo’ Sibanda and Alexander Maseko.
Their minds conjure up images of a Benjamin Nkonjera and Willard Khumalo directing operations from the Bosso midfield.
If their brains don’t betray them, they’ll spring up a Zenzo Moyo and an Adam Ndlovu. Beautiful highlight reels of a Johannes Ngodzo gracefully painting a masterpiece like Michelangelo will be replayed in your cerebrum.
From their playing style to trophy-laden rich history and culture, Highlanders have demonstrated the beautiful art of playing football in Zimbabwe, developed and churned out some magnificent players that took the club to extraordinary heights.
In the process, Bosso unleashed legends out of many of players.
Those are the yesteryear players that donned the black-and-white Bosso stripes with pride.
The current crop, however, will be remembered, not for their exploits on the pitch, but their attempt at exercising player power to arm-twist the executive.
Ever since elevation of Johnfat Sibanda to the position of Highlanders’ chairman, the club has gone through one of its worst polarisation in recent history.
Although it was inevitable that divisions that were so apparent before elections would haunt the club after the ballot, the extent to which they have gone is unacceptable.
Players’ business is to play football and not involve themselves in boardroom wrangles as in the Highlanders’ case.
It was predictable that the players, who used to survive on unsustainable handouts during the lockdown, would turn on Sibanda once benefactors that didn’t side with him abandoned ship.
The players first threatened to strike during the Chibuku Super Cup after more than a year out of action, but on full pay.
Since the day they staged a sit-in and refused to train, demanding a wage increase, the Bosso players have made it sport to besiege the club’s offices.
They have even gone to the extent of asking to be released from their contracts so that they seek employment else, as Highlanders are struggling to pay them.
The players led by captain Ariel Sibanda, Peter Muduhwa and Nqobizitha Masuku, seem oblivious to the fact that the other clubs they want to join are also in financial dire straits because of Covid-19.
They even demanded an audience with Sibanda and were unhappy when he did not turn up.
Although he started on a slippery slope with unhelpful controversial utterances, his decision not to play ball with the players was a masterstroke.
The players’ impunity has finally hit an immovable obstacle in the form of Sibanda, who for once acted like a chairman.
He is now proving that he has a spine and will not grant the players too much power to turn Highlanders into an animal farm. He has since realised that the buck stops with him.
As Sibanda attempts to perform all kinds of economic gymnastics to get Highlanders out of their financial black hole, he must demonstrate that he will not bend to the will of the players and their lofty demands, especially in these days of football inactivity.
The players and their representatives think they can arm-twist Sibanda at a time when the situation is greatly unfavourable to him, but he should continue resisting all efforts to turn him into a puppet.
There are hundreds if not thousands of players who want to play for Highlanders.
Those who want out should be let go. Highlanders have been in a similar situation before. In 1998 they let go of players that disrespected the badge for 30 pieces of silver, and history must repeat itself if the players continue on their path of arrogance.
At a time when the Covid-19 pandemic has frozen football and all sports, reports that the recalcitrant players are dissatisfied with life at
Highlanders and would like to leave as soon as possible should be greeted with whoops of delight and offers of transport to the club offices to shred their contracts.
Give them clearances and let’s see where they end up. The grass is not always greener on the other side. Other clubs are struggling too and some are in a far worse financial quagmire than Highlanders.
Yes, players deserve to be paid, yes, they have families to feed and bills to pay, but it is what it is.
The club is doing all it can to help them put food on the table. They should appreciate the efforts and pray for a better day and stop acting like spoiled brats.
Sibanda deserves to be treated with more dignity and he was right not to meet the players.
Who are they to summon a whole chairman to the club to sit him down?
Where is the team manager Vezigama Dlodlo in all this indiscipline? Why is he letting the players run wild at a time Highlanders need good publicity to attract sponsorship? Is it not his job to deal with the players’ welfare?
It is Dlodlo’s job to engage the secretariat over players’ welfare and not just to chant slogans and be a water carrier.
Dlodlo needs to show strong leadership skills by motivating the players and helping them see the bigger picture. He needs to use the advanced communication skills that he possesses to diffuse the stressful situations that Highlanders find themselves in.
If the gap proves too wide, then something must give. Sibanda must walk or release the players. The financial situation Highlanders finds itself in, and the negative effects of Covid-19 on football, mean that the players are the ones most likely to lose out.
Even without Covid-19, Highlanders were struggling to pay players and the pandemic has just exacerbated the tensions and structural problems that have bedevilled the club for years. The coronavirus has disrupted the finances of potential sponsors that would have jumped at the chance to be associated with Highlanders.
Highlanders cannot and will not be able to fulfil the wishes of their players if football continues to be played without the fans.
The Covid-19 pandemic has put a spanner in the works and it will take several years for Highlanders and every football club in the world to return to pre-crisis levels.
Should Highlanders take a loan in order to be financially stable? Certainly not. Should the club sell off its assets in order to feed the players and avoid another strike? No!
If Barcelona can let go of Lionel Messi because they cannot afford to pay him, then who are Highlanders to keep players who think they deserve more than what the club can afford?
Online Reporter