Baroka boss looks to the north for talent
CHAIRMAN TURNS SCOUT AT COSAFA CUP
A fortnight quietly sitting in the corner of the VIP area at the Cosafa Castle Cup and taking in more than 20 matches has seen Baroka FC chairman Khurishi Mphahlele turn to talent from north of the border to try and make his club more competitive in the next campaign.
The Limpopo side are hoping to avoid a repeat of their maiden season in the Premier Soccer League when they struggled to keep their heads above water. They only escaped automatic relegation on the last day of the campaign, having been forced into the post-season promotion-relegation play-offs, which they won to stay up.
To that end, Mphahlele spent two weeks watching the tournament in the North West Province where 14 different national teams competed with Zimbabwe eventually running out winners.
He has since signed Talent Chawapiwa, the 25-year-old winger from Zimbabwe league contenders Platinum FC, and experienced Tanzanian centre-back Abdi Banda, who had trials at BidVest Wits in April. He comes from Dar es Salaam club Simba.
Zimbabwe full-back Honest Moyo and Zambian striker Brian Mwila could also be on their way as the club look to use up its allotment of five foreigners for the season.
It is a change in attitude from the club, which arrived in the top-flight with an air of arrogance and insisted they had a squad good enough to compete for honours.
But they quickly realised they had underestimated the gap between the National First Division and the PSL and were on the back foot from the start of the season.
Having escaped narrowly, Mphahlele has taken on the task of player recruitment himself and shown a determination not to be caught short again.