Highlanders have wolves in sheeps' skins

I am suspicious. Very suspicious. Not only because of the defeaning silence of those who do not want to tell, but given the few words they use to tell. There is more in the things not said at and about Highlanders Football Club.

As much as we shall never promote negativity and stoop low to name-call in any infighting, one day, there will be a roll-call for naming and shaming the perpetrators of hatred and destruction amongst our midst.

Verbal amatuer boxing matches ensued as the mention of what had littered Facebook concerning the Bosso juniors and the 'Academy'. It emerged there is two camps and I respect both without a shadow of doubt. I can confirm that these do not represent the opinion of club or its leadership.

To start with, Themba Ndlela's tenure was rocked by financial doldrums from day one. His administration inherited masses of debt. They flopped on the field of play. While the reduction was significant, Peter Dube enjoyed the same luxury, they are thriving in dishing out diski.

It must be said that the groundwork set-up by Ndlela has been well-handled by Dube as evidenced by the results Peter Dube is getting from the Themba Ndlela hired coach. Such development will make both great liers if they did not acknowledge the greatness of another.

That issue is not the only common product of their workmanship. There has been seemingly new adopted strategies by the new executive and some dropped projects of the old one. Some are so with very good reason while others are personal taste issues. Identifying which work for the success of the club and the ones meant to massage selfish egos will only be seen over time.

The grey area has been the 'marriage' of the football development of juniors that Highlanders and First Mobile Sports Academy of Canada entered either customerily or Chapter 37. Here, I have not heard a word from the Chairman. Those opposed to Ndlela, as if he is a threat to Dube in any way, think that it is bad.

In emotional debates on Facebook, the FMSA participating in the dana and Gotham invitation tournaments identified players to travel to Europe at the consent of Highlanders under Ndlela. This was part of the 'marriage' benefit to Bosso The current chairman was expected to sign ready typed letters for Visas, and he did not.

Why Peter Dube has not done or when he will, if at all, I am still to find out. Time is almost over anywhere. However, the tone of those supporting the non-travelling of these Highlanders players who are said to have long term contracts to Europe, seems to give the impression that FMSA is in some fishy deals that tie Ndlela in. 

If the contracted players of the club that Dube heads have ties with the departed Ndlela, what could be the possible fears of the incubent Chairman? Qualified legal practioners have thrown in their weight against the move, and so did some registered FIFA player agents. This is worrying, just the opinion of the lawyers plus agents versus FMSA over contratced juveniles whose parents consent to the move.

To start with, the argument of all those fighting the FMSA, that has been rumoured to be represented by Ndlela in Bulawayo, is the binding agreement of the two parties. Frankly, that has nothing to do with visas. There is also the question of branding the football juniors development as an academy. That, again, has nothing to do with visas.

Ideally, the ideality of this idea that all things perfect and square, a Highlanders Academy would have met and registered with ZIFA as an academy, at a cost of some $1500 or so and subscribe for $500 annually, fuels the suspected clandistine dealerships suspected by those with questions to answer.

There is probably no way Bosso can afford those expenses now. An academy must house and school its particpants. Among the many requirement, Amahlolanyama fall short. Again, that has nothing to do with visas.

Actually, failling to meet the minimum requirement for a full-fledged academy does not make 1). the dream of an academy impossible, 2) the use of the name wrong and 3). developing the project to a complete and matured Highlanders Football Academy accroding to the book wrong.

The thought and suggestion that it cannot be called and operate as it is now, based on what it does not have, is insane, to be polite. Highlanders have junior players and coaches, which is one requirents of an academy. They did not get all they have in a day. They shall grow in terms of equipment and funding. They can soon meet those requisites.

Shallow minds dwell of variants that actually are affected even by the weather. Bosso does not need people pulling down the academy plans down because someone wants to mobilise people against a project Ndlela started. True Bosso sons, having identified shortcoming for a full-fledged academy, would globe-trot asking funding for the project.

We have seen that it is possible with the pledge of a 3 Series BMW for use by the technical team when we publicised the FB issue and Tshepo Mabalane Mabalane chipped in. By the way, there were some people who were unimpressed.

Have people not destroyed enough? That mentality that when Mantengwane loses a match, the people riot and liter the streets, start with the thinking exhibited by such pathetic so-called supporters. There is absolutely nothing with Highlanders Football Academy as a name and a future development, and pulling the project and the initiators or those working for its perpetration is demonical and satanic to say the list.

There is no way, a principled man of Dube's calibre could actually destroy Bosso because he thinks Ndlela has a 'Ndlela Foundation' which I am not even sure had any Highlanders ties. Or does it exist anyway?

Players have been 'stolen' from the club previously because they either had no contracts or the inner circle working with them 'mercenarily' escorted them to the neighbours for a fee they pocketed. Highlanders lost a lot of potentially great players by such underwater moves.

At this point, it will be interesting to get FMSA to bring forward the existing agreement in place with Bosso or formalise issues for the growth of the development structures. If that fails again based on the ties between FMSA and Ndlela, it would be very pathetically sad. It would be rather encouraging if Bosso could enter into formal and clear arrangement with the FMSA, and not Dube with Isaak Mbedzi (of FMSA) transparently and above board.

After coming full circle, the names and roles of those opposing the move and shooting progress down will be available here and soon, not as a sign of Russian spy prowess, but just to name and shame the scandalous pretenders who want tot destroy the club from within, the wolves in sheeps skins.