Online Reporter
Tadious Manyepo
Zimpapers Sports Hub
RELEGATION-haunted Manica Diamonds are today expected to navigate through a delicate process as they desperately bid to dodge demotion from the Premiership.
The Mutare club find themselves occupying the last relegation slot after their latest defeat in one of their most disastrous spells in years.
They lost 1-0 at home against Herentals last Saturday as interim coach Tafadzwa Mashiri continues to sing the blues.
Yet Manica Diamonds head coach Jairos Tapera is still on forced leave after he was told to take one when the team was still 11th on the table some five weeks ago.
In his absence, the club has encountered a free-fall, losing three times and drawing once to drop to the danger zone.
And today the club will make a decision on whether to appoint a totally different technical set-up or retain the one in charge.
Tapera’s leave will soon be coming to an end and his fate should also be on the agenda.
The former Black Rhinos gaffer is contracted to the team until December next year.
And it will be interesting to see how the Manica Diamonds bosses will handle his issue, especially given how the team has spiraled down in the weeks he has been out.
Doing away with him will also mean a hefty financial burden on the team whose in-field problems started when they went for two months without paying salaries for their players.
An inside source said this morning, “The situation is really delicate. The club will meet today to deliberate on whether to retain Tapera or to bring in reinforcements from elsewhere.
“The meeting is going to be explosive.”
Manica Diamonds face Dynamos at Rufaro in their next match.
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