HIGHLANDERS Football Club have made slight progress in the processing of the necessary documentation for their new coach, Elroy Akbay, to get permission to work in the country. THANDIWE MOYO
While the process has moved a few steps, it is still some way from finalisation and the club will continue its preparations for the 2016 season without him.
Yesterday, Bosso chief executive officer Ndumiso Gumede said they had finally gathered all documents, including supporting letters from Zifa and the Sports and Recreation Commission (SRC).
Some of the documentation still has to be translated from Dutch to English.
Concern has been raised over the delay in the issuance of a work permit for the Highlanders coach, particularly after Dynamos coach Paulo Jorge Silva had his documents processed swiftly.
“We are doing the best we can to get the permit,” Gumede said.
“We cannot be compared to other teams because we do not have the political or financial clout to have them [documents] processed faster. We submitted them to a lower office and they have to send them to Harare to have them processed.”
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The process first encountered a glitch after Akbay’s contract with Highlanders went missing at the Zifa offices.
Highlanders had to send a copy of the contract to the football mother body, who then issued a supporting letter before submitting the application to the SRC.
“We finally got the supporting letters from Zifa and the SRC and the process in ongoing. We have also received Akbay’s police clearance and all we are waiting for is the translation of the documents,” Gumede said.
Akbay was in the country in November on a business visa, and while he awaits his permit, Amini Soma-Phiri has been preparing the squad for the new season.
Soma-Phiri will assist Akbay this season, having presided over the club’s EasyCall Cup success last term after taking over from Bongani Mafu midway through the season.
