Results will determine if Ramoreboli is the right man

Mqondisi Dube | Wednesday October 15, 2025 06:00

The post match conference ritual at the Obed Itani Chilume Stadium degenerated into a feisty exchange between journalist, Shingirai Madondo and Morena Ramoreboli over what had appeared a decent attempt to get the coach's view on his future with the Zebras.

Instead it turned into a verbal sparring with neither emerging victorious; Madondo left the conference room still unaware if Ramoreboli is the right man for the job while the coach did not give an emphatic answer- he skated in between.

But however the question was asked, it still begs an answer. It could have been answered in a different manner but it still requires an affirming response.

Instead, Ramoreboli chose the red herring and Madondo was caught with his pants down statistically that is.

In the end, the nation, at least from the conversation, still does not know if Ramoreboli from his response, is still the right man for the job.

A coach's job cannot be casually compared to that of a journalist or most professions. Coaching is regarded as a thankless job and one is judged largely based on results.

Not so in other professions where leniency is usually stretched and is available in bucket loads. At times even attracting a lawsuit as a journalist is a forgivable sin, but not so with even one defeat for some coaches.

So Ramoreboli missed it there. Again, it was not about the journalist, but about Ramoreboli and the Zebras' performance. It is understandable that the coach is frustrated; he also wants the team to win to ensure that his cheque is consistently paid at the end of the month and that his CV is enhanced.

But what is worrying is that Ramoreboli, while in some instances justified, has developed a knack of attacking journalists. It is now becoming part and parcel of his DNA which does not bode well for his overall outlook.

Yes, journalists are not mini gods with a blank cheque to do as they please. They must be subjected to scrutiny. But I found it condescending for Ramoreboli to be telling a journalist that asking him if he was still the right man for the job, was a bad question.

Equally the journalist left us in the profession with a crucial lesson that one should arm themselves with statistics. Ramoreboli has won one game, a 2-0 victory over Somalia achieved in March. Probably adding that statistic just before the question that irked Ramoreboli could have aided the reporter's cause.

'With one victory in nine games, and with no target achieved thus far, do you feel you are still the right person for the job,' could have, in my opinion sounded much better phrased.

Ramoreboli was smart, and went for the jugular the moment he discovered that missing in the journalist's amoury were statistics. That then became the point of departure, and everything else that mattered got lost.

It provided Morena with the escape route and the question that still remains valid was not given full attention. But Ramoreboli should know that as long as results are not forthcoming, that question, asked or not, will remain pertinent. And in soliloquy, Ramoreboli will ask himself that question too at some point.

Whether Ramoreboli chose to rant, only results (and performance) will be the ultimate arbiter. And at the moment statistics are not kind to Ramoreboli.