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He will be assisted by long-serving utility player Bekithemba Ndlovu, who will be player-assistant coach as he still has one year left on his contract while former midfielder Amin Soma-Phiri takes over from Jerry Sibanda as the new team manager.
The contracts are for a period of two years as the club has a running contract with a leading financial institution, BancABC, that runs up to December 2013.
The BankABC contract stipulates that the bank will take care of the players and technical team salaries up to that period with the club only taking care of other expenses like winning bonuses.
As reported by this publication, goalkeepers’ coach Tembo Chuma has been retained, so has the medical team led by Xolani Ndlovu, while Loyal Nyika also kept his job as the team physiotherapist.
Speaking during a press conference at their offices yesterday, Highlanders chairman Themba Ndlela said the club had put in place structures that are in tandem with the vision and policy of the team.
He said they looked at personnel who understand the structure and will adhere to the policy of the club, highlighting that preference was given to those that had a history with Highlanders before.
“We believe we put in place a team that will put forward the Highlanders vision as we are now going forward and regrouping ourselves,” said Ndlela, adding that the team would be going all out for the championship and bringing trophies to Bulawayo next year.
He said in coming up with the head coach, his executive looked at what the person will offer to the team, his vision as well as his comprehension of certain issues with Highlanders.
The former Bosso forward is at the moment attending an FA international coaching course attached to former English Premiership side Reading. He is expected to join Highlanders on 15 January 2012.
Ndlela revealed that their technical team would be on a full-time basis hence the reason for the non-renewal of Sibanda’s contract as team manager.
“We offer competitive salaries to our technical team and Sibanda is employed somewhere so we said its either he leaves his employment, which he could not. Soma-Phiri will be on a full-time basis because as manager he has a lot to do,” said Ndlela.
Responding to questions on why he was making such appointments when his term of office is coming to an end at the end of January next year, Ndlela said he was Highlanders through and through and could not
wait for elections to come when other teams would have started preparing for the season.
“I don’t think as chairman I will make decisions that will sink the club in future because whether I am chairman or not, the pain which others will go through will also affect me because I am Highlanders and as such why wait for elections when other clubs would have started preparing for the season?
“If someone is elected as chairman, he will then have a hard time trying to build the team and when he fails we will then start blaming him. These decisions are purely for the benefit of the club and nothing else,” he said.
On players who are out of contract like first choice goalkeeper Ariel Sibanda and midfielder Eric Mudzingwa who showed his defensive prowess when he played as centre back for the national team against Tanzania, Ndlela confirmed that they have not put pen to paper as yet but had agreed with the players on everything.
“As an executive we have agreed that we will sign players and give them cash upon that agreement instead of promises. We do not want to create debts. We want to ensure that whoever we signed is signed on a cash basis. We want to end the year clean and start 2012 clean,” he said.
The chairman also refuted claims that his executive did not give outgoing coach Masuku enough arsenal to challenge for honours, saying all the players that came in last season were on the recommendations of Masuku, not the other way round.
On calls for his executive to resign en masse, Ndlela said Highlanders had systems that are followed and would not want to import other teams’ way of governance.
“The Highlanders people will speak next year. If they want me they will say so and the reverse is true. I will respect their decision because it’s them who put me there.
“If they no longer want me, they will take me out. Remember I have been taken out before,” he said in clear confirmation that he will seek another term in next year’s elections.
Online Reporter