The Sunday News
Ngqwele Dube, Sports Correspondent
FORMER Highlanders midfielder, Joel “Dubai” Luphahla has urged the club to desist from recycling coaches but rather give qualifying former Bosso players a chance to lead the side.
Following Dutch coach, Erol Akbay’s announcement that he will be leaving Highlanders at the end of the season, there have been debates among the Highlanders family on who should take over the hot seat.
Reports of a South American coach have been peddled while locally Joey Antipas, Nation Dube, Bongani Mafu and Rahman Gumbo have been touted as being Akbay’s possible replacements. Luphahla said he felt recycling coaches will stifle the club.
He said there are a lot of qualified Highlanders sons that should be handed the head coach baton for the first time instead of bringing back those who have been at the helm previously. While stating he was not ready to coach at PSL level himself, Dubai singled out How Mine assistant coach, Bekithemba Ndlovu as one of the young coaches who qualifies and should be given a chance to lead Bosso’s technical department.
“There are many former players who are coaching and I think it is prudent the club gives one of us a chance. Yes, some have had the opportunity to coach the club before but we don’t expect them to be recycled because there are others who should be handed the baton. We are all from Bosso and I don’t see why we should just give a few people the chance to coach it,” he said.
“Beke has the requisite qualifications, so I don’t see why he should not be handed the job. Some argue that he was once beaten 4-0 but which coach hasn’t? I’m sure it was a good lesson for him and he came out better from it. We will support whoever is appointed, I think we will all get the chance.”
Dubai said it would be folly to only look to those who have done wonders at the top previously citing Kallisto Pasuwa as one coach who was thrust into the hot seat at Dynamos and is now considered among the country’s best coaches following his success at DeMbare.
The Border Strikers coach said while some former Bosso sons are away from the club now they will retrace their steps back.
“Working with other clubs is some sort of internship but I think at one time or the other we would all love to serve Bosso, Zenzo Moyo is now vice-chairman at Bulawayo City but who knows what role he will take up later at Highlanders,” said the midfielder who joined Highlanders in 1998 and left in 2000 for Cyprus where he joined AEP Paphos.
Highlanders’ chief executive officer, Nhlanhla Dube last week told our sister paper Chronicle the process of finding a replacement for Akbay is already in motion and the new technical set up will be in place before the 2018 pre-season starts.
The Dutchman has made it known that he would not be renewing his contract when it expires in December but has not given reasons.
“It’s in motion (finding a replacement) as I speak to you but its being done internally. A very strict conversation within the club corridors is going on as we look at the pros and cons of the whole appointment issue. It is being done diligently, quietly and internally but what is certain is that by the time the pre-season gets underway, everything will be in place,” Dube was quoted saying.
