Zimbabwe Saints son Agent Sawu has been relieved of his duties as assistant coach at the Premier Soccer League club, a decision taken by the executive in an urgent meeting held on Tuesday night.
Chikwata chairman Felix Dzumbunu could not be drawn to give explicit reasons for the former Warriors striker’s forced exit, but only said it was a technical reshuffle.
Dzumbunu said Edmore Sibanda, who coached the team last year in Division One, would take charge in the absence of head coach Willard Mashinkila-Khumalo, who is not feeling well.
“We have made technical changes to the team. Agent Sawu has been relieved of his duties in a technical reshuffle. He is no longer at Zimbabwe Saints. Edmore Sibanda takes charge of the team with immediate effect in the absence of Willard Khumalo,” Dzumbunu said.
“It’s just an adjustment we have made to improve the team. I cannot confirm Willard’s status at the moment because we are yet to meet him since he is not feeling well,” Dzumbunu said.
The executive met on Tuesday afternoon and the chairman said they would be making other announcements in due course in relation to the abrupt reshuffle.
l Meanwhile, cash-rich Premiership football newcomers FC Platinum have attracted two Malawian internationals who have been plying their trade in the South Africa First National Division League with FC AK.
A source close to the platinum miners on Tuesday told NewsDay Sport the players are former Flames and MTL Wanderers striker Joel Chipofya and midfielder Chikondi Farook Likwemba, who also played for the Malawi national team.
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The duo trained with FC Platinum last week. “There are two Malawians based in South Africa who have been training at the club. The two, Joe and Chikondi, have been playing in the Mvela League for FC AK,” the source said.
FC Platinum secretary Phil Muvengwa on Tuesday confirmed that the duo trained with the club last week, but said they were yet to get a briefing from the technical team led by Rahman Gumbo on the players.
Muvengwa said as the executive, they had not seen the players and he would not comment, referring all questions to Gumbo.
Efforts to get a comment from Gumbo, who won the title two times with Malawi’s MTL Wanderers in 2008 and 2009, were fruitless.
“They were here (in Zvishavane) last week. I don’t know if they will be here this week. But I would not know much at the moment. We have not seen the players, but you can talk to the coach,” Muvengwa said.
On Tuesday, the source said the two players were still in Zvishavane.
According to media reports from Malawi, Chipofya reportedly trained with Caps United last year after sneaking in from the northern country and was then lured by Shooting Stars, but the deal fell through after it was discovered that he was not a free agent.
Former Zimbabwe Saints, Sporting Lions, Monomotapa and DRC returnee Mthulisi Maphosa has joined FC Platinum and would be available for the second half of the season once his papers have been sorted out.
Former Warriors globetrotting striker Shingi Kawondera is reportedly training with the Midlands moneybags.
Gumbo, who joined FC Platinum from Botswana’s be-Mobile side Mochudi Centre Chiefs on June 1, is on record as saying the Premiership newcomers needed to be strengthened.
After beating former club Highlanders at Mandava Stadium last month, Gumbo was quoted in this publication’s sister paper The Standard saying he was not convinced that FC Platinum could challenge for the championship and needed to sign a number of players to beef up certain areas.
FC Platinum boast of some of the best players in the top-flight league, who include the former Highlanders duo of brothers Zephania and Under-23 Young Warrior Joel, former Gunners striker Norman Maroto, reigning 2011 Soccer Star of the Year Charles Sibanda, goalkeeper Tafadzwa Dube, the ex-Dynamos duo of Benjamin Marere and Thabani Kamusoko, Bheki Ncube, Khumbulani Banda, Ray Sibanda and recently called-up Under-23 striker Donald Ngoma.
The club went into a player-buying spree when they were promoted into the top-flight league at the beginning of the year and currently top the log-standings after dislodging champions Motor Action.
This was after Gumbo posted three straight victories after taking charge of the team.
