Brito’s Bosso heart
ALTHOUGH it is often said happiness lies ahead, and not behind, for 71-year-old veteran coach Baltemar Brito, the past is the key to the future.
The Highlanders coach says he will grab the opportunity to coach Zimbabwe’s national team with both hands.
He, however, insists he will be forever grateful to Bosso, “who gave us the first chance”.
Brito, a Brazilian who also holds Portuguese citizenship, was appointed interim Warriors coach on Thursday.
He will be assisted by Dynamos mentor Genesis Mangombe and former Highlanders gaffer Bongani Mafu.
Their contracts run until the end of June 2024, when the mandate of the ZIFA Normalisation Committee expires.
Brito’s first assignment is the invitational match in Botswana on Saturday to celebrate that country’s Independence Day.
He is set to use a local squad for that friendly encounter. Immediately after the Botswana trip, Brito will be expected to start working on assembling a competent squad for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in November.
“When the opportunity comes to our life, we should grab with two hands, but in the end, we should not forget who gave us the first chance and showed us the world,” Brito told The Sunday Mail Sport.
He still has a running contract with Highlanders, which expires at the end of the year, and he insists he will remain dedicated to Bosso’s cause.
The Bulawayo giants are chasing their first league title since 2006.
They are still in with a chance despite losing three consecutive matches against Platinum, Chicken Inn and Dynamos. FC Those losses saw them relinquish top spot to Ngezi Platinum Stars.
“We want to finish our contract with Highlanders in a professional manner. We want to do our best to make sure we achieve our goals,” he said.
Brito was appointed Highlanders coach on June 3, 2022 and guided them to fifth position at the end of the season.
The Bulawayo giants had finished sixth in 2019.
He is now targeting to finish the 2023 Premiership season on a high.
But Bosso have stuttered in the last four weeks in which they dropped nine points.
Last weekend, they overcame Yadah Stars 2-0 at Barbourfields Stadium.
It is a result Brito thinks was key ahead of today’s trip to the Colliery for a date against unpredictable Hwange.
“Victories are always important because they boost the confidence of players for another week of work, so the victory against Yadah was really important.”
Highlanders have 44 points ahead of their cagey Match Day 24 assignment at the Colliery, where they last won against the coalminers in April 2016.
Brito is aware of how difficult Hwange can be at home.
“We know that it won’t be an easy game, but we have players with character and personality. They will go there to fight for the three points.”
The vastly improved Mbongeni Ndlovu and striker Washington Navaya were on target against Yadah last weekend.
Navaya finally got onto the scoresheet after a long goal drought.
The lanky striker now
has two goals in 24 games.
Most of Bosso’s goals this season have come from their defenders and midfielders. Defenders Peter Muduhwa and Andrew“Tower”Mbeba have been vital cogs in the rearguard.
And it is no surprise Mbeba is highly rated by his coach.
The Brazilian gaffer — who has vast coaching experience, having worked with the legendary Jose Mourinho at Chelsea — has also been charmed by Dynamos’Tanaka “Kante” Shandirwa.
“These two players — Mbeba and number 44 of Dynamos (Shandirwa) — are two of the best in the league but there are other players with talent and capacity.“It would not be fair if I mention a few names because there are a lot of good players in the Zimbabwean league,” he said.
“Zimbabwean soccer is very competitive and I have said that from day one.
“Every team can compete for the three points and in the end, there is not much difference between the teams. This makes the league very difficult.”
Highlanders have failed to finish in the top four since 2016, when they came third behind champions United and CAPS Platinum. FC
They finished sixth in 2017, fifth in 2018, sixth in 2019 and fifth last season.
A storming start to this season has, however, ignited a strong belief among their faithful that this could be the term in which Bosso will not only secure a topfour finish but also actually bring back glory. Some are even tipping Bosso to still win the league despite suffering a slump in form that left many questioning their pedigree.
Highlanders’ character came under heavy scrutiny against Platinum, FC Chicken Inn and Dynamos.
Bosso failed the test in all three contests, casting some serious doubt on their capacity to finally win the championship that has eluded them since Methembe Ndlovu’s era in 2006.
Brito has in the past openly declared his intentions to win the title but doing better than last season remains a viable target.“When we started the season, our target was to do better than last season, so at the present moment, we are within the target.
“We do not have any problem at all,” he said.