Zimbabwe’s football clubs are resistant to change. They do not want to hire new coaches to manage their teams.
By Michael Kariati
The hiring of Dynamos’ David Mandigora is one such typical example of how our Castle Lager Premier Soccer League clubs seem to be recycling the same old coaches over and over again.
Mandigora was at Dynamos and was last in a coaching position way back in 2009 but finds himself tasked once again with leading the popular Harare club.
Tonderayi Ndiraya, who served as Kalisto Pasuwa’s assistant and in the same capacity way back also finds himself back at the club and once again as assistant coach.
Dynamos have always been in favour of their famous sons taking over coaching roles at the club but one is forced to ask whether there are no new former players who have over the years acquired qualifications good enough to coach the side?
Dynamos are not alone in this as other clubs have also not hired fresh faces as coaches.
Even big spending Harare City have appointed David George their technical director.
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This is the same David George who was assistant to Sunday Chidzambwa at Dynamos way back in the 90s, the same George who was assistant to Mandigora in 2009.
What is disturbing is the fact that Zimbabwean football is training too many coaches week in and week out but sadly no new faces come into the fray.
Surprisingly, even Hwahwa Prisons who were promoted under Luke Petros have made changes. But the same old Lloyd Mutasa who has been at Kiglon, Dynamos, and FC Platinum has taken over, relegating Petros to the back seat.
When How Mine parted ways with Pilani Ncube, we saw Luke Masomere who has been at Amazulu, Dynamos, CAPS United, Shabanie Mine and Buffaloes, crossing the floor to the Bulawayo side.
On the other end, Moses Chunga, who left Chiredzi, having also coached Dynamos, Black Rhinos, CAPS United, and Shooting Stars, among others, made the long journey to Mutare to replace the departed Masomere.
Biggie Zuze whose Monomotapa side had been relegated from the Premier Soccer League joined Triangle after the sacking of Gishoni Ntini.
The much travelled Ntini himself was to join Chiredzi in place of Chunga as if the cash-strapped side did not have coaches from their own home town.
As if that were not enough, Jairos Tapera who has had stints with various clubs was at Shabanie trying to help the team survive relegation but failed to save the sinking ship.
The much-travelling Jostein Mathuthu joined Black Rhinos after having been relieved of his position at ZPC Kariba, on the background that he did not have the required qualifications.
This is the same Mathuthu who had coached at the now defunct Eiffel Flats way back in the early 2000s and Lengthens who ironically are also no longer in the Premiership.
Highlanders are the only team that have taken a different route this season. They have given little-known Bongani Mafu the chance to make his name on the national scene.
Mafu must now prove himself so that he changes the attitude of our clubs so they realise that new brooms sweep even cleaner.
What Dynamos have not learnt is that when they brought in Pasuwa, who had been an assistant everywhere he had coached, there was a new dimension to their game.
Pasuwa proved to be a new broom who brought in fresh football to the DeMbare brand but after his departure, the club has gone back to its old habits of recycling coaches.
Some might argue that CAPS United have also brought in a refreshing change following the arrival of Briton Mark Harrison. But a look at the backroom staff will show that the same old Brenna Msiska has been brought back onto the scene.
Also, at CAPS United is Mark Mathe, who last season was sacked by Highlanders for poor results and Kelvin Kaindu, who was also sacked by Bosso is now at Triangle.
What I am not getting clear is whether Zimbabwe is not producing new coaches with fresh ideas, or if it is because the clubs are just used to recycling coaches.
Last season, more than half the clubs in the Premiership sacked their coaches for poor results. The reason is simple. You cannot employ a coach that has been fired by another club and hope he will produce miracles.
I wouldn’t be surprised if the out-of-employment Ntini and Mathuthu resurface again in the Premiership.
Every time, it is Masomere, Chunga, Mangwiro, Mathuthu, Ntini, Zuze, Joey Antipas moving from this club to the other. Is our football developing or is it going nowhere due to this recycling of coaches with the same old ideas?
We need to see the results of all those countless coaching courses that are being held every day. Where are the newly trained coaches going to?
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