adminIT’S my hope that you are enjoying the festive season following your undeniable success at Highlanders in the 12 games that you were in charge of the Bulawayo giants. It was indeed a worthy cause for you to respond positively when called upon to rescue the club you so dearly love.
We all know that when you came in, the club was literally staring relegation in the face, but you came on board together with Cosmas “Tsano” Zulu and Melusi “Mabaleka” Sibanda and did the unimaginable. You did not only earn the club a sixth place finish in the league, but also $80,000 by lifting the Easycall Cup.
Your Easycall Cup victory was made much sweeter by dispatching Dynamos 2-1 in the semi-finals at Barbourfields Stadium. After that game, some Highlanders’ supporters even declared that they had won the Easycall Cup just by beating The Glamour boys.
After that feat, fans and the media began to adore you and called on the club’s leadership to appoint you substantive coach.
This is how the generality of the Zimbabwean populace saw things. However, your utterances at the club’s last press conference where you declared that it was either you or nothing surely changed the public’s sympathy for you.
I still feel you should have exercised some restraint in your outbursts because as they say in IsiNdebele, kusasa kuyizolo or unganyeli emthonjeni.
Your success in the 12 matches spoke for itself and if you had gone on to be given the job, very few would have objected. Unfortunately the club had made its decision, but surely another year as an assistant coach would not have killed you Khazeni, as I’m certain that you would have taken over the reins either before the end of season or after a year.
Great coaches have been appointed interim coaches and gone on to win big tournaments, but never did they turn around and demand to be in charge as you did.
For example, Roberto Di Matteo won the FA Cup and Uefa Champions League with English club Chelsea as an interim coach, but did not demand to be appointed substantive coach despite his huge success. He went on to get the job two weeks after Chelsea’s Champions League triumph, but was fired a few months later. Even after being fired, he still remained forward looking.
“I don’t think about it much, to be honest. All the people remind me of it, but I’m a person who looks to the future and doesn’t live in the past. Those are the things I can influence. The past is there for everybody to see but I look forward. You can interpret it as you want. I’m more forward-looking than past-looking,” Di Matteo said.
Dutchman Guus Hiddink was also roped in by the same club in 2009 and went on to win the FA Cup before leaving quietly at the end of the season. He never made noise about it and is back at Chelsea in an interim basis again and such is football.
Back home, your close pal Rahman Gumbo did some amazing things at Highlanders, winning trophies and league titles, but he was appointed assistant national team coach to Misheck Chidzambwa, who was then not doing well at Chapungu. Gumbo did not say he deserved to be head coach because he had won trophies with a big club while Chidzambwa was struggling with a small team.
So Soma-Phiri, as much as I also sympathise with you, I feel you owe an apology to the institution called Highlanders and its leadership. A simply sorry or an official letter of apology to the club leadership might just be enough to see you bounce back at Highlanders in the near future or immediately. This is football and this is Highlanders after all, ayilahli usapho lwayo.
I should hope with all sincerity, that you would heed my advice.
Yours in football
Sikhumbuzo Moyo
Senior Sports Reporter
Online Reporter