Fathi Finally Bids Farewell To Highlanders FC.

[caption id="attachment_2250" align="alignleft" width="630" caption="Mohammed Fathi - Had Enough and Going home."][/caption]Mohammed Fathi has left Highlanders Bosso in a cloud of mystery, given the revelations that he gave a month's notice. While the Bosso family were unhappy with the Egyptian mentor, Fathi was also unhappy with the material and resources at his disposal. 

Fathi is said to have expressed an issue of salary payment defection by the club as the main reason. Like predecessor Madinda Ndlovu, it is believed to be owed thousands of dollars in salary arrears. However, the clear message from the ground is that, while the Executive Committee expected results from Fathi, the players are not near championship quality. They are demotivated by nonpayment of salaries and winning bonuses as has been evidenced by the now familiar industrial actions. 

There is yet another school of thought that the players have the potential and that there may be issues within the team that the public is unaware of. One source close to the team has question the possibility of a coach serving notice and even then, the club does not bother to line-up his replacement. Mkhuphali Masuku, his assistant, is likely to take charge of the rocked boat. 

Masuku will have to deal with the same hungry players to produce the results. It still remains to be seen if any improvements in terms of player welfare and acquisition will be possible. This question of a possible operation in a vacuum will scare any potential candidates to take the job full-time. Coaches who are worth their salt have to be paid, and well. A salary of $5000,00 is very average and with no fans going to watch home matches and no sponsorship for both the league and the team, that may be gold for Bosso to find. 

Mkhuphali or the new coach has to deal with Dynamos again in less that 4 weeks in the final of the ZAOGA Jubilee Celebrations Cup. The match was likely to be played at the now banned BF. It is a tall order for anyone to play a well oiled Dembare that blasted reigning league champions 4-1. 

So whoever comes must expect more or less to be paid haphazardly and be grateful for whatever comes. Fans will have to expect the result to trickle in the same way and stop the nonsensical violent behaviour at the stadia. The alternative is a fly by night coach who will walk in to work for peanuts and ride some luck to win all the remaining matches and the team wins the championship. This will attract the people to the stadium and the gate-takings will boost the coffers for a team to hire another dear expatriate coach. 

It is not that there is anything wrong with foreign coaches. I like them, especially Africans. If they were bad, the national teams would have stopped recruiting them. They are fashionable and are cool, especially when they speak English with a heavy accent. It keeps players listening to the funny parts of the words. Usually players do not get the message or instructions. 

Black Mambas Director of Coaching, Madinda Ndlovu is a disappointed man with these developments. His worry is the way coaches do not get things to work with and end up taking the walk. Ndlovu feels the sacrifice the coaches take should be taken into account and all the help and support must be afforded them to work more professionally. Asked about the players, he was adamant the junior football structures must be revisited and player development start in earnest. 

Ndlovu, now also national assistant coach of Zimbabwe Warriors, Tom Saintfeit, mourned the loss of proper structures nationally but was particular about the material Bosso should be creating for themselves as was the case yesteryear. What do you think Bosso need now and who should be appointed coach?