Pirates coach laments Munetsi red card in Telkom final loss
INCUMBENT Zifa vice-president Omega Sibanda was in bullish mood yesterday as the euphoria around the elections to choose a new executive committee heightened ahead of the association’s pools in Harare on Sunday.
Sibanda along with his boss Philip Chiyangwa and board member finance Philemon Machana will need to shake off their clanengers and secure a full term to administer the country’s biggest sport.
The trio were part of a board that swept into power in December 2015 following the revocation by the Zifa congress of the Cuthbert Dube leadership.
Sibanda, Chiyangwa and Machana have remained the three standing pillars from the 2015 class of the directly elected executive committee members.
Of that crew, former Zimbabwe international Edzai Kasinauyo had been suspended months before he passed away on June 15 last year, while the pair of Felton Kamambo and Piraishe Mabhena resigned in March after the duo joined a cabal that was accused of trying to sabotage the administration of the game and make football ungovernable in the country.
Sibanda, speaking after taking his campaign trail to the Eastern Region where he met with councillors in Mutare, expressed optimism that the Congress would look into the work they have done for football in the short space they ORLANDO Pirates coach Milutin ‘Micho’ Sredojevic admitted that the red card Marshall Munetsi was shown influenced the Telkom Knockout result on Saturday.
Munetsi was given his marching orders by referee Victor Gomes in the first half for a dangerous tackle and not long after the setback, Baroka FC took the lead. Bakgaga went on to win the entertaining cup final 3-2 on penalties after it ended 2-2 in extra time.
Micho feels that it could have been a different story were it not for the sending off of their Zimbabwean international.
“It was a huge setback for us playing with a player less. However, it happened and we could not influence anything in that regard.
“The only thing we could have done was to respond and the players responded very well in the field.
“They have worked for that minus one player. We have applied ourselves with a player less what of course it is not easy. However, each player extended and stretched himself with limits replacing the absence of Munetsi, giving the best.
“We tried our best. We got it and invested it. However, it was not meant to be.”
Micho also explained why he decided not to bring on another defender after losing Munetsi.
“The most important (thing) for us at halftime, we set the formation that could make up for the absence of the red-card player Munetsi.
“So, we set ourselves in a risky formation of going with three defenders, two midfielders and four attackers practically, putting ourselves in a position that is risky behind.
“But that risk we wanted to replace with right positioning of the players in the field of play, closing inside and allowing them advantage and looking forward to capitalise on defending by positioning,” concluded the Serbian. — KickOff.