HARARE City Football Club have appointed Philani “Beefy” Ncube as their new coach, replacing Mike Madzivanyika, who could be demoted to the assistant coach role.
BY HENRY MHARA
The City Fathers have had a difficult start to the Premier Soccer League season, where they have won just once and lost four in nine matches, a situation which has forced the club’s executive to act.
Madzivanyika, previously an assistant coach at the club, was promoted at the start of the season, but it appears the former Harare United mentor has failed to produce desired results.
Club chairman, Alois Masepe yesterday said they decided to make a change after the team’s poor start to the season, in a restructuring exercise that saw Richard Tswatswa named the team’s manager, replacing Mkhuphali Masuku, who has been demoted to the academy.
Masuku was initially the club’s preference for the top post at the start of the season, but his lack of the required coaching qualifications cost him the position.
“We have restructured the technical team with immediate effect. The team has been playing well, but the results are not coming the way we expected so we felt the need for intervention and to bring in new ideas. Philani Ncube is our new head coach and we want Mike Madzivanyika to revert back to his previous role as assistant coach. We want to retain him in the new set-up, but it is up to him,” Masepe said.
“We will continue to beef up the technical team to meet the club’s vision and we are looking for somebody else whom we are going to appoint soon.”
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He could not be drawn to reveal the identity of the person whom they are earmarking, but sources yesterday confided that they would appoint former Caps United coach, Mark Harrison as the club’s technical director.
Harrison was part of the group that was interviewed by the club on Tuesday together with Ncube and former Highlanders coach Bongani Mafu.
They had also invited former Dynamos and Warriors coach Kalisto Pasuwa for the interviews, who was believed to be the executive’s first choice, but he did not pitch up.
Ncube’s first task is to guide his new team to a positive result against an equally struggling Dynamos, whose gaffer Lloyd Mutasa is clutching to the job by the skin of his teeth.
Kick-off is at 6pm at the National Sports Stadium.
Dynamos have also had a bad start to their season, with just eight points from their seven matches so far, form which saw the club’s executive holding a crisis meeting on Tuesday afternoon.
Reports suggest that they have given Mutasa a one-match ultimatum and if he fails to get a positive result today, he could be fired when the executive convenes again tomorrow.
Castle Lager Premier Soccer League Matchday 10 fixtures
Today: Harare City v Dynamos (National Sports Stadium, 6pm), Highlanders v Chicken Inn (Barbourfields), Yadah v Triangle (Morris Depot), ZPC Kariba v Chapungu (Nyamhunga), Shabanie Mine v Bantu Rovers (Maglas), Tsholotsho v Ngezi Platinum (Dulivhadzimo), Caps United v FC Platinum (postponed)
