Mhlauri not qualified to attack monster he fed

Mhlauri not qualified to attack monster he fed

ATTACK: Former CAPS United and Zimbabwe coach Charles Mhlauri

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Phathisani Moyo was sports editor of The Sunday News when Zimbabwe lost to Malawi last year and failed to qualify for the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations. After criticising ZIFA, he came under attack from CEO Henrietta Rushwaya who said Moyo would never travel with the national team again. Charles Mhlauri was coach then, but he has been very critical of Zimbabwe's latest failed effort at qualifying for the 2010 Africa Cup and World Cup. Moyo feels he is slightly unqualified to criticise his former bosses:

By Phathisani Moyo
Posted to the web: 30/10/2008 00:07:15
I HAVE read Charles Mhlauri’s interview with New Zimbabwe.com in which he talks at length about the poor administration haunting Zimbabwean football. I could not agree more with him.

Zimbabwean football has been in the wrong hands for a very long time. I meet a lot of real football people here in South Africa and they echo the same sentiments about the Henriettas and the rest of the gravy train crew that is benefitting from the raping of our national game.

Some of us saw this coming a long time ago and when I dared to point out the mediocrity of our game after the loss to Malawi, I was villified and subjected to abuse that even boarded on tribalism by Henrietta Rushwaya, the ZIFA CEO.

It pains me that Mhlauri is only speaking out now, when he watched me threatened and torn to pieces by Rushwaya. It was one of the most painful moments of my life, but football people like Mhlauri stood by (I dare say some gleefully) as I was attacked for my professional discharge of my journalism duty.

Only Benjani Mwaruwari and Shingi Kawondera sympathised with me at that hour. Mhlauri and Ernest Sibanda, people who are supposed to ooze football, ducked for cover because they feared for their positions.

This is, however, not to say that Mhlauri should be restricted from pointing out what’s wrong with Zimbabwe football. The truth of the matter is that the game has been politicised; which is why Central Intelligence Organisation agents form part of the travelling contingent, even when Mhlauri was coach.

Henrietta Rushwaya is a political appointee, and nothing will change unless the political leadership realise that they picked the wrong candidate and replace her.

We can jump, scream and shout but we have very little power over the depressing events taking place back home. People like Mhlauri did not do enough when they had the opportunity.

Mhlauri may have introduced the junior players, but what good did it do when he supped with the devil that continues to suck the life out of our game and all his noble efforts?

I have the greatest respect for Mhlauri, who is also a friend, a coach and talent scout. But I feel he may be a little unqualified to play the holier than thou card now.

I am a living testimony of the encouragement Henrietta Rushwaya received from people like Mhlauri to do as she pleased with our football.
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