Having hogged the limelight for all the wrong reasons in past few days, the spotlight rests on Dynamos’ Portuguese coach Paulo Jorge Silva as his team faces ZPC Kariba in a Zimbabwe National Army Charities Shield quarterfinal match at Rufaro Stadium today.
BY MUNYARADZI MADZOKERE
While the match gives DeMbare a chance to examine themselves, for Silva it’s an opportunity to silence his doubters and showcase his ability, especially with his coaching experience coming under major scrutiny.
Defeat for the Harare giants against ZPC Kariba, coached by former son Sunday Chidzambwa, could authenticate rumours that the impulsive Portuguese has been fast losing his dressing room ever since his appointment.
However, Silva — who was not at liberty to speak to the press without a go ahead from his own manager — did not have much to say.
“What happened during the week is behind us, the team is well-motivated,” he said. “The team is ready to win against a difficult opponent like ZPC Kariba.”
Apart from reports of spats with a number of senior players, Silva had a brawl with Harare football giant’s goalkeepers’ coach Gift Muzadzi last Sunday, before he manhandled a ZBC cameraperson Vivian Bangamu four days later, demanding that she delete the footage she had captured, spraining her wrist in the process.
So far Dynamos, who are set to tour Malawi as part of their pre-season training, have displayed good form in friendly matches with Silva in the dugout and set to continue in that vein.
- Chamisa under fire over US$120K donation
- Mavhunga puts DeMbare into Chibuku quarterfinals
- Pension funds bet on Cabora Bassa oilfields
- Councils defy govt fire tender directive
Keep Reading
On the other hand, ZPC have conducted their preseason business quietly, having lost key players who included Raphael Manuvire and 2014 soccer star of the year Dennis Dauda.
