DeMbare sacrifice Muzadzi
THE Dynamos leadership have sacrificed goalkeepers’ trainer Gift Muzadzi in his ugly row with eccentric head coach Paulo Jorge Silva after giving the Portuguese gaffer the benefit of doubt as the Glamour Boys struggle to keep their ship afloat in the eye of a raging storm.
Muzadzi, who is away in Mutare attending a CAF C Licence Course, is a former Dynamos goalkeeper who was part of the group of immortals who reached the final of the 1998 CAF Champions League final, the furthest that any Zimbabwean club has ventured in the continent’s flagship inter-club tournament.
He won’t return to the Dynamos bench after he completes his course after the Glamour Boys bosses chose to give their controversial Portuguese head coach the licence to sack Muzadzi, whom Silva accuses of being a cartel that has been sabotaging his work since he arrived at DeMbare as a surprise choice for the hottest seat in domestic football.
Muzadzi made sensational claims on Monday that Silva appears to have a low opinion of black coaches and the Portuguese gaffer believes they know either nothing, or very little at all, and cannot be trusted to be partners who can help him achieve success.
It now appears as Silva has been given the freedom to wield the axe on his backroom staff and there are fears that even his assistant, Lloyd Mutasa, and team man- ager Richard Chihoro could be kicked out if the gaffer fails to win against Chicken Inn in an Independence Cup semi-final at Rufaro on Saturday.
“The ball is now in Silva’s court and he can do as he pleases, and it’s sad really, that even our leaders are now trusting someone whom they just knew on the Internet, just a few months ago, rather than the people that they have been working with for years,” a source told The Herald yesterday.
“No one is safe right now because Silva will continue to say that I’m being sabotaged as long as the results don’t come and he will be given the freedom to fire whoever he believes is not playing his tune.
“What I can’t understand, from our leaders, is why haven’t they taken him to task for bringing in players, from Portugal and all over, whom he said would add value to the team only for them to fail to make the grade and what does that say about him as a coach.”
Club president Kenny Mubaiwa yesterday all but confirmed that Muzadzi’s days as part of Silva’s backroom staff were over.
“We have been buying time and even told Muzadzi to work well with the head coach, but it appears it has failed to work,” said Mubaiwa.
“In any football set-up, the coach is the owner of a contract as he is answerable for the results and if he feels he is being undermined then that person has to leave because under normal conditions the head coach was supposed to have brought his backroom staff.
“If Silva is not doing well then we will clearly assess that when he is left alone working without complaining about being sabotaged and then if results don’t come we will deal with him.”
Silva yesterday said his mission remained the same — to win the league championship this year and he was not happy that Dynamos have dropped five points in their first two matches in the campaign.
“I am happy in my job. I have a contract with Dynamos but I am not happy with everything,” said Silva.
“At every workplace you are not happy with everything.
“I told the two bosses (Mubaiwa and secretary-general Webster Chikengezha) what I am not happy with and they promised me they would fix this and this was three weeks back, before the Chicken Inn game, and they promised me they will fix it. “They should fix it. “About the training, players and my staff, everyone is working and everyone wants to win. But for me some things need to change because I didn’t come here for holidays but I came for work and some people don’t want to work, some people from my staff don’t want to work.
“I told the president, you got me here for work so let me do my work. But I am prepared to work with anyone who is willing to work.”
The coach said he had a good working relationship with his players but his candidness was being mistaken for confrontation.
“I talk with everyone and I tell the players in their faces if there is any problem and help them. If I don’t tell you your mistake, you will not learn.
“I don’t say things behind someone’s back,” he said.
Choosing to focus on his team’s performance and ignoring his fallout with Muzadzi, Silva said he is looking forward to their next game.
Silva said his charges, who are working very hard at training but lacking the execution under game situations, might be struggling to handle the pressure as they are yet to score and win but he is confident that they will break that goal duck in their next match.
The Glamour Boys have fired blanks in the opening two matches.
And while the strike-force have always been the team’s weakest link during the pre-season, where the club sought to boost the team with Brazilians, the coach still feels the material at his disposal should be able to deliver something.
“I am happy with the team and not happy with the results. I am happy with the boys, they are fighting and if you are at Dynamos, you are bound to have pressure at training and everyone has pressure at times,” said Silva.
“But I am not feeling the pressure because it is a long season and I can still win the championship as I have only dropped a few points.