NEWLY-APPOINTED Harare City coach Taurai Mangwiro has revealed he would make some major personnel changes in the team as he seeks to build a strong side capable of mounting a serious title challenge next year. TAWANDA TAFIRENYIKA SPORTS CORRESPONDENT
He told sister paper NewsDaySport that he would offload some players at his new club and raid the market to bring new faces he thinks would give him better results.
However, it is Mangwiro’s former club Caps United who are likely to be the major casualty of the coach’s intentions, with most of the players expected to trail their ex- gaffer.
Reports suggest that the majority of Caps United players, including skipper Tapiwa Khumbuyani and Ronald Pfumbidzai who helped the Harare giants to a third place finish — their best achievement in recent years — are unsettled and could leave the club ahead of the forthcoming season.
Pfumbidzai reportedly led numerous revolts at the club last season over unpaid salaries and winning bonuses and came very close to be expelled by the club.
Goalkeeper Tafadzwa Dube, Dominic Chungwa, Kelvin Bulaji and Tendai Samanja are some of the players who are also reportedly unsettled at United and desperate to leave.
When asked to give his thoughts on Harare City’s current squad and its capability to dethrone Dynamos, Mangwiro said: “Harare City had quality players, but I am obviously going to offload some and bring in new faces. I can’t say right now which players are going or coming in.”
While he kept cards close to his chest, his close associates yesterday revealed that negotiations have already started with some of the players he left behind, and chances are high that they would join him at City.
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The source said Nicholas Alifandika and Honey Chimutimunzeve whose loan deals at Caps United expire at the end of the season were some of the players on Mangwiro’s shopping list.
Mangwiro quit Caps United last week in a surprise development which also saw his lieutenants Mike Madzivanyika and goalkeepers’ coach Richard Tswatswa tendering their resignations the same day.
The three were part of the technical crew unveiled by the Harare City executive on Wednesday as they seek to take the team to a higher level having just managed to survive relegation on the final day of the league programme.
Mangwiro was roped in as head coach in a set-up that includes former Dynamos coaches David George and Elvis Chiweshe who were assigned to lead the club’s junior development project.
There was also a place for his former assistant at Caps United Mkhuphali Masuku whom he recalled to help him in the senior team set up.
Masimba Dinyero who was interim coach and helped the team survive relegation with a 1-0 victory over Chicken Inn on the final day of the league programme, was rewarded by being redeployed to the juniors where he will be responsible for talent scouting.
Mangwiro said he had chosen Harare City because of peace and tranquillity which prevails at the club rather than the big money clubs, having faced challenges while at Caps United since taking over two years ago.
Caps United are still to appoint a coach to replace Mangwiro with the club executive expected to meet this week to deliberate the way forward.
