Chronicle Editor
Ricky Zililo, Senior Sports Reporter
BULAWAYO Chiefs coach Nilton Terroso survived the chop for the team’s string of poor results, with the axe falling on his assistants Mark Mathe and Farai Tawachera.
The final straw for the pair was the team’s 1-2 defeat to Black Rhinos in a league match at Sakubva Stadium last Saturday.
The loss added Chiefs’ winless streak to six games.
Terroso missed the encounter as he is in his native Portugal attending the Uefa Pro licence coaching course.
Chiefs relieved Mathe and Tawachera of their duties on Monday and quickly roped in their former head coach Thulani Sibanda, who they had fired in September last year.
Chiefs severed ties with Sibanda and his technical team that included Effort Murindagumo and Zivanai Chivanzi, to pave way for Terroso, Mathe and Tawachera.
Dumisani Mantula-Sibanda, the Chiefs’ secretary, said the dismissed pair of Mathe and Tawachera failed to meet expectations.
Asked why the head coach, who is reaponsible for results, survived the chop, Mantula-Sibanda said: “We still believe that coach Terroso still has a lot to offer the project and that is why after doing our assessment we felt that Mathe and Tawachera lacked certain atrributes we wanted to drive the project.
Please note that Mathe and Tawachera are not bad coaches, but as a club we had to take a decision that is good for the club. I must hasten to say Terroso never recommended severing ties with Mathe and Tawachera; it was a management decision.
“We’ve also kept Terroso so that he imparts his knowledge to the local coaches such that when he leaves, our guys are better equipped with the knowledge he has so that there’s continuity.”
The writing was on the wall for Mathe and Tawachera when they were left out for the Matchday 7 away assignment against ZPC Kariba.
Although Mantula-Sibanda declined to comment on the exclusion of Mathe and Tawachera for the trip to Kariba where they played to a 0-0 draw, sources said the players had expressed disappointment after being sprayed with “holy water” by one of the assistant coaches.
When the Chiefs management met the players, they were informed that there were divisions in camp, with cliques belonging to either Mathe or Tawachera.
The re-engagement of Sibanda is meant to address dressing room divisions and assist Terroso turn around the fortunes of the club.
Chiefs take on Ngezi Platinum Stars at home in their next league assignment, with Terroso set to watch the game from the terraces as he is only expected to arrive on Sunday morning.
Sibanda, who was introduced to the players on Monday and started work yesterday, will be in charge of the team against Ngezi.
“We know Thulani’s capabilities, hence we sought to bring him back home because he also understands Bulawayo Chiefs’ culture. Obviously when he left, we differed in views, but in football there are no permanent enermies or friends. He (Thulani) is always a Ninja and what is important is that he has agreed to understudy Terroso and work together in a healthy environment with the head coach,” said Mantula-Sibanda.
Chuefs are currently 12th on the league table with nine points off nine games and trail log leaders Chicken Inn by 12 points.
But Chiefs still believe they can salvage something from this season. – @ZililoR
Online Reporter