Online Reporter
Tadious Manyepo
Zimpapers Sports Hub
SAUL Chaminuka says he will retire from football at the end of this year.
The veteran gaffer is currently on suspension at Dynamos due to indiscipline and incompetence.
He was forced out after, among other things, failure to drag the team out of relegation.
The suspension is without any benefits and a charge sheet has since been drafted for him to appear before a disciplinary hearing which could kick him out of the club.
The nomadic coach was also serving a two-match touchline ban from the Premier Soccer League when Dynamos suspended him.
He was found guilty of causing the abandonment of the match between FC Platinum and Dynamos on May 22 at Mandava.
Chaminuka ordered his team off the pitch after a late penalty was awarded to the hosts when the scoreline was 1-1.
And the PSL last week instructed him not to sit in the dug-out for DeMbare’s matches against Manica Diamonds and Chicken Inn.
However, the Harare giants decided to elbow the man they had entrusted with making sure the Glamour Boys ring-fenced their Premiership status.
Chaminuka told Zimpapers Sports Hub that it was time for him to walk away.
“Sometimes you just wonder why things are taking a certain direction.
“I have made a decision to retire from coaching at the end of this year.
“This is not because I no longer want to watch football or discuss the game. But I have my personal reasons that made me come to this conclusion. I still wanted to continue because I am not yet that old to be saying I should be leaving the stage.”
He added:
“It’s an early retirement and I think it’s beneficial for me.
“I have had highs and lows in the game just like what every other job can throw at you.
“I have had good moments and bad ones, too. I will forever love football because it’s part of my DNA. It’s part of my identity.
“But, I think I have served the game and this is time to call it quits.
“Come the end of the year, I will officially retire.”
Chaminuka came closer to winning the league title in 2014 when his ZPC Kariba led the standings right into the final day of the season.
However, they bottled it up when they lost to CAPS United at Gwanzura to allow Dynamos to capture it.
It is the same Dynamos that he was given the responsibility to save from the drop.
And, despite his assurances that the giants would be safe, the Glamour Boys were sinking deeper into relegation trouble by each passing week.
Former Highlanders coach, Kelvin Kaindu, has been given the mandate to try and save Dynamos in the final 11 games of the season.
It’s an uphill task that the Zambian gaffer has been given to deal with given there is an eight-point gap between the Glamour Boys and safety.
DeMbare welcome MWOS at Rufaro on Sunday hoping to get the maximum points and a confidence-booster.
