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It's Mhlauri or Zifa, you choose the scapegoat
By Oswald Sibanda
Sports Editor
CHARLES Mhlauri suffered his first defeat as Warriors coach in the Africa
Cup of Nations/World Cup qualifying match last Sunday -- losing 1-0
away to Angola.
He should be fired.
Rahman Gumbo lost one in six competitive matches, and he was fired. In Gumbo's case, his first defeat was against the best African team - Nigeria - but still, he went.
Mhlauri has just lost to some unfashionable team coming from a war-torn country whose players are more familiar with bullets than footballs.
I can hear someone shouting 'traitor'! Yeh, call me that, but I am just playing to the Zimbabwe Football Association book. "You lose one, the Herald passes a vote of no confidence, and you are out," is the moto.
I am open to being convinced about reasons for Mhlauri and Moses Chunga to stay on as the Zimbabwe coaches.
But if anyone is of the view that Mhlauri should stay, surely they are with me in demanding that the entire Zifa -- from the cleaner to the chairman should be fired for gross ineptitude and dereliction of duty!
I refuse to accept the view that Zimbabweans have accepted being second best at everything, or as our position on the log proves, fourth best.
We have been let down by years of mismanagement at Zifa. Just before the important match in Angola, the players were picketing over unpaid bonuses and allowances.
Not that it was new. But it serves as a chilling reminder how our game has been poorly managed by people whose only claim to leadership is their association with corrupt and failed politicians.
As the Rahman Gumbo issue clearly proves, Zifa can no longer hide behind the big lie that it's the coaches who are to blame for their failures. The people are much wiser and can now see through this lie which has been trotted out so many times to cover for Zifa's failures.
There is no professional environment which exists within the association. No attempt has been made to take the national team forward, or sell it as a brand and get big name companies to sponsor the team.
Am I the only one who thinks Caps United or Highlanders are better run than the national team? No wonder the players are so often bored and demoralised some prefer to go clubbing on the eve of big matches. Why make the effort when an over-fed clown is sitting in some office downtown Harare not giving a fuck about the team?
My call is simple.
Those who want Charles Mhlauri to remain as coach must join the calls
for regime change at Zifa. The next time Rafiq Khan wheels out that
lie that the coaches are to blame, just slap the bugger!
Oswald Sibanda has played for Highlanders, Zimbabwe Saints, Masvingo
United and Wankie
GROUP 4:
CURRENT GROUP FOUR LOG STANDINGS
[The draw also acts as qualifying for the 2006 African Nations Cup.
The winner of each group will compete in the 2006 World Cup, while the
top three in each group qualify for the 2006 Nations Cup]
P |
W |
D |
L |
GF |
GA |
PTS |
|
| Angola | 5 |
3 |
2 |
0 |
5 |
2 |
11 |
| Nigeria | 5 |
3 |
1 |
1 |
7 |
2 |
10 |
| Gabon | 5 |
1 |
3 |
1 |
8 |
7 |
6 |
| Zimbabwe | 5 |
1 |
2 |
2 |
4 |
6 |
5 |
| Rwanda | 5 |
1 |
1 |
3 |
4 |
7 |
4 |
| Algeria | 5 |
0 |
3 |
1 |
3 |
6 |
4 |
Fixtures: 2004
June 5: Nigeria 2-0 Rwanda; Gabon 1-1 Zimbabwe; Algeria 0-0 Angola
June 19: Rwanda
3-1 Gabon
June 20: Zimbabwe 1-1 Algeria; Angola 1-0 Nigeria
July 3: Nigeria 1-0 Algeria; Gabon 2-2 Angola; Rwanda 0-2 Zimbabwe
September 5: Algeria 0-3 Gabon; Zimbabwe 0-3 Nigeria; Angola 1-0 Rwanda
October 9: Gabon
1-1 Nigeria; Rwanda 1-1 Algeria
October 10:Angola 1-0 Zimbabwe
2005
March 25: Algeria
v Rwanda
March 26: Nigeria v Gabon
March 27: Zimbabwe v Angola
June 5: Zimbabwe v Gabon; Angola v Algeria; Rwanda v Nigeria
June 17: Algeria
v Zimbabwe
June 18: Nigeria v Angola; Gabon v Rwanda
September 2: Algeria
v Nigeria
September 4: Zimbabwe v Rwanda; Angola v Gabon
October 8: Nigeria
v Zimbabwe; Gabon v Algeria
October 9: Rwanda v Angola
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