Malandule caught offside?

Sikhumbuzo Moyo, Senior Sports Reporter
ZIFA executive committee member and chairman of the Zimbabwe Referees Committee and Technical and Development Committee Bryton Malandule faces the wrath of his colleagues in the board after making national team appointments without their consent.

This is the same mishap that befell Zifa vice-president Gift Banda, resulting in his suspension and long drawn legal case.

Banda has been in the wilderness since his suspension on January 16 following his decision to announce the appointment of Bongani Mafu and Tonderayi Ndiraya as Sunday Chidzambwa’s assistants in the senior national team, taking over from Rahman Gumbo and Lloyd Mutasa.

However, in the Malandule case, Zifa claims he was misquoted despite the existence of an audio Malandule sent to Chronicle Sport pronouncing a number of resolutions that were made by the Technical and Development Committee.

Among the resolutions, according to Malandule’s audio recording, were the appointments of Highlanders’ coaches Mandla Mpofu, Bekithemba Ndlovu and Melusi Sibanda as assistant coaches for the Under-23, Under-20 and Under-15 national teams.

Malandule announced that Mpofu would assist Ndiraya in the Under-23 set-up, while Ndlovu and Sibanda would deputise Philani Ncube and Agent Sawu in the Under-20 and Under-15 teams respectively.

Bulawayo Chiefs coach Thulani Sibanda was given the women’s Under-17 team where he would work with Evelyn Rimai and Irene Mwanza.

Responding to an inquiry on why the coaches haven’t been given any contract while their employers have also not been informed, Zifa communications manager Xolisani Gwesela said the appointments haven’t been endorsed by the board as per the constitution and what the technical and development committee did was to make a recommendation.

However, in his audio, Malandule clearly states that they made recommendations which were approved by the board.

“We have finalised the list of coaches for all our representative national teams. Maybe for the avoidance of doubt, I will name the coaches that were recommended by the Technical and Development Committee and subsequently approved by the Zifa executive committee,” said Malandule before listing all the names beginning with the senior national team that will be headed by Zdravko Logarusic, with Ndiraya and Lloyd Mutasa as his assistants.

“Those were recommendations from the Technical and Development Committee. The board has to meet and ratify the appointments first. I think he (Malandule) was misquoted. All technical appointments are ratified by the board,” said Gwesela.