BY TERRY MADYAUTA
FORMER Shabanie Mine coach Tendai Chikuni is set to be appointed head coach of Central Region Soccer League side TelOne who are looking at bouncing back into the topflight league.
Although formalities of his appointment have not yet been concluded due to COVID-19, the Wifi Boys are confident that they will get Chikuni to lead them back to the elite league.
The team was demoted to second division in 2019.
Chikuni will replace Rahman Gumbo, who joined Botswana Premier League side Sua Flamingoes in April.
“We have not yet completed the processes, but we have identified him (Tendai Chikuni) as the person who can lead our team,” club president Llyod Mthethwa told NewsDay Sport yesterday.
“Due to the on and off situation in our sports industry, we are not sure if football will be played in Division One, but we are confident that when it finally returns, he will give us good results because of his coaching profile. He is a good coach and we expect to have a long and good relationship with him as soon as we complete all the formalities,” he said.
Chikuni’s return to the Central Region will send shivers to rivals angling to win the promotion ticket when football returns.
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He has experience in winning league promotion having guided Shabanie to the topflight in 2016.
But he will have to move mountains due to the strong competition in the region with Sheasham seemingly looking the favourites if their squad is anything to go by.
There is also Chapungu, who are coached by the legendary Moses Chunga, who will also be looking to bounce back into the league, setting an explosive battle for the sole ticket to the elite league.
Chapungu have already recalled most of their players who were loaned to WhaWha and other teams, as Chunga embarks on a mission to build a strong squad capable of challenging for honours.
For Chikuni, he will most likely start from scratch to assemble a squad that suits his style of play and also considering that a number of key players have left the club during the long lay-off.
Among them is Trust Nyabinde and Fredrick Muza who joined ZPC Kariba and Bulawayo Chiefs, respectively.
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