DYNAMOS’ new coach Paulo Jorge Silva might have survived to live another day yesterday with the postponement of the Premiership football club’s scheduled meeting, but he continues to skate on thin ice after it emerged that he was restrained from a fistfight with a sports consultant, Felix Sapao, on their way to Malawi last week.
BY HENRY MHARA
The Dynamos top hierarchy was set hold an emergency meeting to decide the future of the Portuguese gaffer yesterday, but it was postponed due to the unavailability of secretary-general Webster Chikengezha.
A source yesterday told NewsDay Sport that Silva had a heated argument with Sapao, the organiser of the trip to Malawi, which almost degenerated into a fistfight.
The cause of the argument could not be ascertained, but the source said the duo had to be separated as the clash threatened to turn violent.
The source added that, still on their way, the coach also had a tiff with an executive member, Webster Marechera, who was the head of delegation for the trip.
“Theirs was an issue of protocol. Silva told Marechera that he is the coach, hence, was the boss of the team and would not listen to anyone else,” the source said.
“He wanted to do almost everything and this did not go down well with Marechera, who felt his authority was being undermined. Silva even threatened to abort the trip when we arrived at the border. He grabbed his passport from the manager and also ordered Branco (a Portuguese player on trials at Dynamos) to disembark from the bus, but later returned.”
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On arrival in Malawi, Silva had another brush with his assistants, Gift Muzadzi and Lloyd Mutasa, which was sparked by a confrontation the latter had with goalkeeper Tatenda Mukuruva over the goal the latter conceded direct from a corner kick in the team’s a 1-0 loss to ZPC Kariba last week.
Muzadzi and Mutasa were particularly displeased with Silva’s aggression and not the criticism.
Things came to a head when Silva physically pulled Mukuruva out of an interview with the Malawian media, who had been given permission to talk to the player by team manager Richard Chihoro.
“It was very embarrassing not only to Tatenda, but to the team as well, especially considering that the journalists had been granted permission to talk to him. It was the manner he did it that was embarrassing because he literally dragged the boy away in front of shocked journalists,” the source said.
Marechera could not be reached for comment yesterday, but the source said his report from the trip was likely to put the final nail on Silva’s coffin.
The Portuguese has created more enemies than friends in the club’s structures since he came in and the Dynamos bosses fear it might spill into the new season and affect results.
He has picked fights with members of his technical team, players as well as journalists.
