Shabanie Mine dangle empty house as part of coachaï¿½ï¿½s deal

. Raymond Jaravaza
SHABANIE Mine reportedly wanted coach Mandla Mpofu a�� now assistant coach at Bulawayo City FC a�� to move into an empty house that was still undergoing renovations as part of perks to lure him to the mining town to take charge of the Premiership returnees.

Its common practice for a club to offer a foreigner or a coach who hails from a different city accommodation as is the case when Highlanders secured lodgings for Dutch gaffer Erol Akbay close to the Ascot Shopping Centre in Bulawayo.

The accommodation usually comes with basic furniture such a bed, refrigerator, television among other things to make the new man in town comfortable.

Shabanie Mine are said to have also offered the former Chicken Inn coach $3 000 as signing on fee but he opted to join the Bulawayo City FC, a team owned and bankrolled by the local municipality.

Mpofu had reportedly asked for a higher signing on fee but Shabanie Mine cut it down significantly sighting financial challenges and had staggered the $3 000 over a couple of months starting with a $1 000 payment upon signing of the contract.

a�?Shabanie Mine told Mandla that he will move into a three-bedroomed house in a medium suburb but the deal breaker was that the house was still undergoing renovations and would have no furniture. They could have at least provided basic stuff for him to use while in Zvishavane.

a�?He was ready to take the job even on a reduced offer but the Shabanie Mine executive seemed not to care about making his stay in Zvishavane comfortable considering that he was relocating from Bulawayo,a�? said a well placed source.

a�?Contractual issues are a tricky subject and I wouldna��t want to be seen commenting on a deal that a prospective employer had put on the table.

a�?All I can say is that my demands were reasonable but unfortunately the deal failed to materialise,a�? said Mpofu.

Club chairman Elias Marufu was unreachable for comment.

Shabanie Mine have since appointed former Mutare City Rovers coach Taku Shariwa for the position of head coach.

Shariwa has set a target of avoiding relegation in his first year in charge of the team.