About Delma Lupepe, Bossolona, let us think deeply

The last time on the subject of Delma Lupepe, I was completely misunderstood. If this was politics, I would say 'misquote'. My idea is not of giving Highlanders Football Club to Mr. Lupepe, but to bring Delma to Bosso. We observed that he could be desired for limited use by many as they consider him a huge risk as one comment went. I may agree only as far as his involvement is concerned depending on how you view it. What may be acceptable to him could be a role just as an active partner or at worst, a passive one. 

To put it into perspective, many thought that may be a parasitic situation. One Tshepo Mabalane was of the opinion that he was autocratic. "From a distance, Delma appears to be in the Kaizer Motaung and Roman Abrahamovic type of administrator who could be good for Man City, Chelsea or TP Mazembe type of situations." He thought Bosso needed a Perez or Joseph Bartomeu who have great respect of development structures and can spend millions on a nine year old, people who can let a star player of Yaya Toure's calibre go for the sake of their home-grown talent.

The fear that many have of him is the exact reason why he is the reason he should join the club. The many of his ruthless deals and both the obvious and underground networks became the juicy part of the possible marriage. Football is not for monks anymore. It is not a game for sissies. His appetite for power and hunger for success cannot compare with a human being I know. Cunning as a fox and with an eye for detail, his stand on the things he believe in, the same reason we crucified him, can be harnessed for the game, his success and the region.

Let us look at him as an employee. The credentials of the man as businessman and a footballer are never in doubt. There is obvious doubt of the possible intentions and his need for greed. It would be a fair assessment to say that he may grow too big for his shoes and become unscrupulous. The man is a natural deal maker, an authority. He becomes very aggressive and bullish when cornered. The Board and the Executive will not play the hide and sick where everybody is hiding and nobody is seeking. Lupepe can of course, speak the language and dance to the tune if needed.

First things first. Does Lupepe have the ability to make millions? Can he manufacture merchandise and items to grow a pregnant worldwide brand? Is he in need to make loads of cash? Then what credentials would one have to have? One thing, he will make millions, and so will the club. In his terms of engagement, there should never be any doubt that whosoever dances pays the piper.

The scope of the relationship would be limited to branding and merchandising as a Chief Operations Officer. His influence would be limited to just making money and nothing else. Bosso has strong legal teams and auditors to monitor him. Delma is globally well connected and the relationships he builds should benefit the club for life. Never should it be an option to have him influence the running of the club. His role should remain in the business side of Highlanders and build the Bosso brand as well to create a sustainable business wing capable of evolving and developing and stand the test of time.

All this, people know he is capable of, but can he be trusted? He will have to, given the potential of his vantage position in being associated with Mantengwane and being married to Tymon Mabaleka's sister. He needs the money, though not desperate, and there is money in the name of Highlanders, in the black and white shield with a spear and knobkerrie. His business acumen has no equal.

It should not be held back to deny him a dollar for a Bosso dollar deal. You can be sure he can build a million dollar franchise in Bosso and harness all its massive support that lies dormant in the diaspora. Another bet would be to hand him the rights to the name and brand and ask him to rack in the money from a distance, but monitoring someone else's business will not be easy at all. The deals and books would be hard to access and stock taking almost impossible. Audit report would be tempered with and all the accounting issue would be a huge mess.

I am convinced he would also get one marketing tool going, one I am passionate about. It is not the sale of merchandise and branding a few items. To many Bossolona sons and daughters, the honour of serving the club goes with their last kick of the ball for the team. What about music CDs and DVDs of the team's most memorable matches?

Back to my point. There is need for the Hall Of Fame. One simple thing that will make the names of the heroes immortal would be huge pictures in the stadium and dressing rooms. The away dressing room could be named Douglas Mloyi or Alexander Maseko This sends a message to the opposition that the goals will be hard to come by. The home dressing room could be Peter Ndlovu, inspiring the home strikers to go for the kill. The stands named after Madinda Ndlovu, Willard Khumalo, Benjamin Nkonjera and Peter Nkomo are just few examples of solidifying the history of the club and make the whole brand marketable. This, the Bosso supporters can do. All they have to do is to organise a march with a formal request to the City fathers who own the stadium.

Let us hear what you think by leaving a comment below and let's discuss.

Is it a Mata United should bank on?

The record Mata move to United brings with it some sense of relief to a desperate Manchester side’s quest to implement damage control measures that may be beyond repair by now. All hope is not lost given that the brand , despite the vertical downward spiral, is massive domestically and internationally. Furthermore, David Moyes is threatening more purchases.

The best part of the Juan Mata move is the hunger of the player to proof one of the best coaches wrong. He fell out with Jose Mourinho for his mediocre interest to play without the ball and the two have been the worst best friends.

Manchester United’s ship sank fast and their desperation got them to buy Mata from the team highly interested in United’s best player, Wayne Rooney. The fact that they can do business with matter underlines the extent of United’s concerns. The price tag was one thing and to me, the louder message is that Rooney is going nowhere very fast. If ever he moves and does so to Stamford Bridge, Roman Abrahimovic will have to break a bank, if he still banks his cash.

Regardless, how much impact can Mata make, as an individual and who else would complement the Spaniard in the resuscitation efforts of the ailing champions. I got neither belief nor answer in the process or its success. A complete overhaul is needed, not the five Matas muted by the English press. The wish-list DM has, does not impress me to make United potential champions.

Besides, the cost will not be worth the while. These players will naturally cost more and worth less at this point in time. United needs just to play enough just to avoid relegation and build a proper team in the new campaign.

The good intention of Sir Alex Ferguson of building a team and believing the inheritance was going to help DM failed as a natural turn of events followed the script. Great managers build their own teams and success is never inherited. Once in a while we ride the crest and get the accolades after all has been forgotten about the predecessors, but that happens once in a blue moon.

Some managers I admired built teams and destroyed them several times. Brian Clough of Nottingham Forest relegated that team and promoted them again and again. It is that level of understanding and ability that a Manchester United needed. This is not to say that DM cannot or will not build United again. He can and he will.

All he needed was to do this building himself right from the start. The shortcut could have worked, had Wayne Rooney and Robin van Piersie been well and at their level best. That was not the case and the domino effect’s impact is causing the present pressing of panic buttons. Is this a Mata United can bank on? Time will tell.

I told you Chelsea will win it

Chelsea Football Club of the Barclays Premier League of England made a historic capture of the UEFA Champions League title with a chess end game of the highest order. It was not magic that they did so and we told you they were going to do it. (Get yourself a copy of The Anatomy of Football)

The Londoners stunned a confident and wasteful Bayern Munich to win a maiden European championship at the Allianz Arena in a penalty shootout after a 1-1 draw of full-time and a stalemated extra-time. 

It was the man Drogba who had equalised for Chelsea in the 88th minute who became the man of the show, as he tucked in the winning kick to send the English wild.

Thomas Mueller's 83rd minute header past Petr Cech had 'Champions' written all over it until the African from Ivory Coast sang.

The Cup with the Big Ears was last in the Bayern cabinet, who had it four times in their history, in 2001. They had the luxury of having Arjen Robben miss a spot-kick given away by Didier Drogba, as Cech heroically saved it during open play.

It was a sweet victory for Chelsea, who lost to Manchester United in the 2008 final on penalties, and were also undone in 2009's semi-final against Barcelona. Those dark moments were forgotten as the fans cried tears of joy.

Far from being value for money for many, the unpredictability of events made up for wow-factor. The hosts dominated the whole 90 minutes and were quite flat in extra time. The visitors' ultimate plan was not to lose it at any point of the match, which they executed very well.

Manager Rorbeto Di Matteo ensured they defended well against fierce attacks and potential heartbreaking wing-play from the Germans. It was a psychological game which built confidence on each player with each passing moment. 

Chelsea were always going to be a better team as the match wore on, not much as to the manager's prudence, but based on the work ethic of men at work digging for gold.

Without a few of their influential players, it sounded like a suicide mission to enter Germany with a 'rooky' stand-in manager of little experience in Europe.

Tucked away nicely were spot-kicks by David Luiz, captain of the day, Frank Lampard, Ashley Cole and of course, D Drog. 

Olic had replaced the regulation time scorer and his penalty-kick one-handedly stopped by Cech. It turned out that the usually dependable Bastien Schweinsteiger had no nerves to face the masked Cech as his spot-kick crashed the post. 

Drogba closed the meeting in the only way he knows how. The result became a bitter-sweet victory for Roman Abramovich who began to ponder as to how not to give a full contract to the 'out of contract' 33 year-old Drogba and care-taker manager Di Matteo.

It is a preferred headache than to play second fiddle to every one in everything to the billionaire who pumped in cool cash to his vetaran footballers.