The Sunday News
Senior Sports Reporter
HIGHLANDERS coach Erol Akbay is a man who does not take kindly to another member of his technical team getting in the way while he is doing his job.
Last Sunday, when Highlanders were playing against Bulawayo City at Barbourfields Stadium, Akbay reacted angrily to technical director Comas “Tsano” Zulu calling left back Honest Moyo to the touchline just as play was resuming with the coach motioning for the player to return to the field of play.
Zulu went livid when asked to elaborate on what really transpired before Akbay intervened to make it clear that he does not entertain interference from any member of his technical team when he is coaching his team.
“That’s speculation again, that’s none of your business hey,’’ thundered Zulu at the club’s weekly Press conference before he was interrupted by Akbay.
“What I said before if I am coaching and somebody is doing another thing, I am a very bad guy, I am too focused on my team, that means another guy around me should not touch anything, that’s how I am. That means also when a player has one ear to Harare I kill him, your job is here, not in Harare,’’ said Akbay.
Even after Akbay had given the explanation, Zulu rumbled on, accusing this reporter of asking what he called stupid questions.
“At the bench of the technical staff a lot of things happen, you are failing to ask us technical issues, how we win games, you are asking us silly questions,’’ said an arrogant Zulu.
In August, our sister paper B-Metro reported that Akbay lost it and told Zulu to shut up when Bosso lost 2-1 to Mutare City in a league encounter at Barbourfields. This was after the Dutchman had called midfielder Allen Gahadzikwa to the touchline to give him instructions when Zulu rose from the bench to interpret what Akbay had said to the player. This is said to have angered Akbay who told Zulu to shut up with that information supplied by a senior player who was close to the feud.
Highlanders chief executive officer Ndumiso Gumede told Sunday News in March that Zulu had been handed the responsibility of making sure that Akbay settled into his job at Bosso before reverting to his post of goalkeepers coach. Seven months later, Zulu is still doubling up as the technical director and goalkeepers coach which gives him a supervisory role over Akbay and assistant Soma-Phiri as well as being a subordinate to the two at the same time.
Twitter: @Mdawini_29
