adminFrom Paul Mundandi in Zvishavane
JOHN “Senior” Phiri was yesterday appointed Shabanie Mine Football club coach on a three-year contract. His appointment came a day after the self-proclaimed doctor of football Luke “Vahombe” Masomere dumped the asbestos miners for Buffaloes.“I can confirm to you that John Phiri is now our coach with immediate effect and will be assisted by Arnold Jani who will be the first assistant. We will appoint the second assistant in due course,” said Greg Mataka, Shabanie Mine president.
“We did wide consultations before the appointment. It’s unfortunate that Masomere left us after supporting and showing confidence in him during his trying times. We wish him the best and at the same time I urge our fans to rally behind John, his technical team and players.”
“Shabanie will not die and I am proud that we managed to lift the BancABC Super Cup last season. I am aware of people who have been trying to put our names in the mud but I just want to assure the Shabanie family that we will remain a force to reckon with in the premiership,” added the club president.
A number of names which included former Chicken Inn coach Mandla Mpofu, Lloyd Chitembwe, Phillip Mbofana, and Mkhupali Masuku had been touted as possible replacements to Masomere.
Phiri is not new to the Maglas dressing room as in 2010 he guided the Chinda Boys to the elite league. He left the team for Mimosa, now FC Platinum who were in Division Two and guided them to Division One before he was dumped by the platinum miners who opted for Luke Petros. At the time of his appointment Phiri was in charge of Beitbridge-based Division One side City Strikers.
“I am excited with the development. I feel great to be honoured and I want to thank the executive and the fans for the trust they have shown in me and this is going to make my job easier,” said Phiri.
“Shabanie is not going to die even if other players leave as it will give others a chance to redeem themselves. We have a lot of players in Zimbabwe who are eager to play for Shabanie and all I can say is I am going to build a team that will compete in the league.”
Phiri hinted that he was going to make a choice for the position of assistant coach between Max Ruza and Voster Chitema. The 46-year-old coach has a task of making an impact following the departure of Masomere whom he once played with in the same team at Mandava during his school days.
Shabanie will be celebrating its golden jubilee this year and their fans would love to see the team winning some silverware. The team has so far lost the services of Tarisai Rukanda who joined FC Platinum, Roy Mazingi (Chapungu) William Ngonya (Bulawayo Chiefs) and Pervington Zimunya who is still club hunting. Smart Muchabayiwa is also rumoured to be on his way out.
Online Reporter