FORMER How Mine coach Philani “Beefy” Ncube has been approached by two Botswana be Mobile Premier Soccer League (PSL) sides amid speculation that the 2008 coach of the year had been tipped to replace Kelvin Kaindu at Highlanders. FORTUNE MBELE SPORTS REPORTER
Ncube, who resigned from How Mine in August saying the results were not coming, has been on the radar of Motlakase Power Dynamos and BDF XI.
Ncube has been mentioned alongside Rahman Gumbo and Madinda Ndlovu, who are at Gaborone United and champions Township Rollers respectively, Mkhuphali Masuku and Mandla Mpofu.
“There are two clubs in Botswana that have approached me. In the last two weeks I have been getting calls from Motlakase. Their boss phoned me again this morning (yesterday). But I need to regenerate and recover after resigning from How Mine. I am no longer a junior coach and in the meantime I am spending time at Luveve Library reading football. Every day I spend two to three hours at the library,” Ncube said.
Ncube, who took How Mine to the African safari in the Orange Caf Confederation Cup, said he had no hard feelings about quitting the gold miners and said although he might be affected by being jobless at the moment, he would bounce back in January next year.
“Football is like a drug. When you get in, you get addicted and you don’t want to be out for a very long time. I will be back with a bang in January. I am pained to see where How Mine is at the moment, but I wish them the best. I want to meet them and play against them next year. I want them to survive,” a clear indication that Ncube is eyeing a Castle PSL comeback.
Asked if any local club had approached him, Ncube said he had not been approached by any.
“I have not been approached by any club at the moment,” Ncube said.
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However, sources said Ncube was in Botswana last week, talking to the Motlakase Power Dynamos boss and watched the side play a 1-1 draw against Satmos. Ncube refuted the rumour.
“My passport expired. There is no way I could have been in Botswana,” he said.
Ncube has previously coached Pigott Maskew in the lower division, a club that he played for. He coached former top-flight side Railstars in Division One in 2007, assisted by Mpofu.
In 2008 and 2009 he was at Njube Sundowns before joining Zimbabwe Saints in Division One and played their last seven matches, winning all of them.
In 2010, Ncube took over from the late Lindile Dube at Chicken Inn and went on a 27-match winning streak and got them promoted to the PSL and was again named coach of the year in the Zifa Southern Region Division One League.
He left Chicken Inn the following year, with three matches remaining in the PSL, bouncing back as assistant to namesake Philani Mabhena at How Mine last year.
He took over as head coach and got the gold miners labelled “The Giant Killers” after they claimed the scalps of giants Highlanders, Dynamos and Caps United.
Following Kaindu’s departure from Highlanders, the Bulawayo giants have denied any links to any coach with chief executive officer Ndumiso Gumede saying they had only received a CV from an unknown coach in South Africa.
