Madinda earns his place among the elite
Dennis Keagile | Friday May 2, 2014 15:14
All along, Ndlovu has not been given much respect as some were of the opinion that at Mochudi Centre Chiefs, he had the best squad in the country, which made his job easier.
But at Rollers he had to reconstruct a team made mostly of average players. Against the odds, he lifted the Premier League title and reached the Mascom Top Eight final after beating blood rivals, Chiefs and Gaborone United. It was a show of tactical acumen from a man some have derided as a coward.
The only blot on his credentials this year is the fact that he won the title after red hot favourites, BDF XI were docked six points for taking football matters to court while the other two contenders, Chiefs and GU were rocked by instability. Chiefs had two general managers during the season while their Serbian coach, Drago Stanljovic took long to settle before he was shown the door. GU and their coach David Bright had a frosty relationship throughout the campaign before the two parted ways. By then, the damage was already done. The next season therefore promises to be a fiercely contested one.
Regrettably Uniao Flamengo Santos dropped back to the First Division where Matshidiso ‘Sexton’ Kowa once spent many, many years and has been a regular visitor.
The Santos formula of relying only on youngsters is not good enough. It has taken Santos rather too long to turn the corner in terms of turning professional. As the pioneer of privatisation, I thought Kowa’s team would be the trend setter of professionalism. And, like I have said before, Santos need serious introspection especially from a management perspective. The dynamics of the game have changed and so should Santos. What a pity that Jethro Shemy Hunidzarira and Parker Mampori have failed to save the team.
Zebras
Congratulations to Pio Paul for being appointed the new Zebras assistant coach. As a player, Paul always played to win, hence his aggressiveness on the field. Even as a coach, he wants total commitment from his players. Such was his passion when he led BMC to the Coca-Cola Cup final, which he won on penalties.
The big question is: What mentality will he and Peter Butler bring to the Zebras? I have a problem in that the backroom staff is not yet complete.
We do not know who will be the welfare manager. Some of the positions are unnecessarily taking too long to be filled. A coach and an assistant are not enough.
The backroom team is a very important component of the set up. I really do not understand why it is taking long to make certain appointments. I would be happy if Butler could share with us his plan or programme which he thinks can make Botswana qualify for the group stages of the 2015 AFCON qualifiers.
What a drawback it has been in that Dirang Moloi has been left out. His selection the first time out was ill-advised because there was no indication that his situation will be resolved anytime soon. It was a regrettable decision by the coach.
The recent allegations that Butler does not have a contract, which Botswana Football Association president, Tebogo Sebego dismissed as mischievous, have to be scrutinised.
There could be something a miss. Will the secretariat give him all the necessary support if there are power games? The mere fact that such allegations found their way to the media means that all those involved might not be united in purpose.
Sebego has to investigate this and read the riot act to all those involved. Otherwise good luck to all as the real business starts now.