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Silva: Dead man walking

Sport
JORGE Paulo Silva travels to Sakubva Stadium tomorrow to face Mutare City in a Castle Lager Premier Soccer League clash, knowing that it could be his last match as Dynamos coach.
  • Fate hangs on City match  
  • 8 submit CVs for his job

JORGE Paulo Silva travels to Sakubva Stadium tomorrow to face Mutare City in a Castle Lager Premier Soccer League clash, knowing that it could be his last match as Dynamos coach.

BY HENRY MHARA

SEEKING divine intervention: Dynamos coach Jorge Silva (second from left), and his entire technical team will be sacked if their team fails to beat Mutare City tomorrow
SEEKING divine intervention: Dynamos coach Jorge Silva (second from left), and his entire technical team will be sacked if their team fails to beat Mutare City tomorrow

While victory there, against a promoted and struggling opponent, is very likely, it would only serve to delay the inevitable, with the Big Harare Derby against Caps United next up and a trip to Hwange looming large.

The controversial Dynamos gaffer was earlier this week given a target of winning nine points from the next three matches by his bosses, failure of which he will, together with his entire backroom staff, get sacked.

The Dynamos executive is understood to be lining up his successor with eight applications reportedly having already reached the club’s offices by yesterday. A lot more are expected next week.

Three of applicants who have tendered their CVs are foreigners, while former Warriors coach Rahman Gumbo is among the locals vying for the top job although his strong links with Dynamos’ bitter rivals Highlanders could significantly reduce his chances.

Egyptian Mohammed Fathi, who has previously coached Highlanders and is currently working in Zambia, is also understood to be interested in taking over from Silva.

“The club is already preparing for life after Silva,” said a source. “There is nothing to suggest that he will pass the test, so the executive has since started accepting CVs. I can tell you that eight people had applied for the job by this afternoon (yesterday). Three of those have come from Europe. Two are from Turkey and one from Portugal. One of the Turkish guys has worked in Africa before, and has a good chance of landing the job,” the source added.

It is understood the Dynamos executive is now a bit sceptical on giving the job to another foreigner especially after the Silva debacle.

Another source said: “Fathi has made inquiries, but he is yet to submit his papers. Rahman (Gumbo) has submitted his although we wouldn’t want someone with links to Highlanders to lead Dynamos. But the process (of receiving CVs) is still ongoing and if he is the best qualified coach on the list, who knows maybe, he can get the job.”

Club president Keni Mubaiwa could not be reached for a comment yesterday, and so was secretary-general Webster Chikengezha.

Silva, who is sitting on a final written warning for misconduct, received the three-match ultimatum following the former league champions’ horrible start to the new season.

DeMbare have not won in their last five competitive matches, but it is their failure to score a single goal in those matches which has scared even the most ardent of Silva’s sympathisers.

Dynamos were thumped 3-0 by league champions Chicken Inn in their season opener before drawing with Triangle in the second match.

This was followed by another 1-0 defeat to Chicken Inn in the Independence Cup semi-final before going down 2-0 to FC Platinum in the competition’s third and fourth play-offs — results that annoyed both the club’s executive and the supporters.

Meanwhile, Caps United will be looking to put a tough week behind them when they host Harare City in the Harare Derby at the National Sports Stadium, arguably the biggest match on the weekend fixture list.

The Green Machine had to deal with the arrests of captain Method Mwanjali and midfielder Archford Gutu, who were allegedly involved in a brawl that resulted in the stabbing of a Harare man.