The Sunday Mail
Ishemunyoro Chingwere – Sports Reporter
Football coaches tend to sympathise with each other whenever the axe falls, fully aware of how limited their life expectancy is.
This applies even among the most bitter of rivals.
Take Highlanders coach, Bongani Mafu, and his view on Dynamos’ firing of David “Yogi” Mandigora.
DeMbare axed Mandigora on Friday, barely seven months into his return to the Glamour Boys. And Mafu — whose team face their biggest rivals in the ZNA Charities final at Rufaro today — reckons Dynamos jumped the gun.
“It’s a sad development. Having taken over from somebody who was very successful and achieved just too much, the task was always not going to be easy for him,” the Bosso coach said.
“It’s very difficult to step into such shoes and fit in very quickly, so I think Dynamos jumped the gun.”
Mandigora was shown the exit door at a time when his fourth-placed charges were just three points behind surprise log leaders Triangle.
The gap between Dynamos and the top has since grown to four points after Chicken Inn were awarded three points for their abandoned match against Dongo Sawmill and reclaimed top spot.
A massive 12 points off the pace and placed ninth, Mafu is in a worse off position. Mafu is not among the most popular personnel at Bosso, his strikers are misfiring and he has voiced his frustration at how Highlanders are not in the title mix.
Amid all this, the gaffer insists he is not a worried about the future.
“Future? What future? The only future I think of is the next match,” Mafu said.
“I can’t be worrying about whether (or not) I will be allowed to continue every morning I wake up. If anybody has to worry about that, then it’s my employer who makes the decision of whether or not to retain my services, otherwise if there is no change I always live for the next match.
“I have been asked about the turbulence in the team but I don’t know of any. Maybe your sources are the ones who should explain to you where this is coming from.”
DeMbare’s new coach Tonderai Ndiraya said a positive result against Bosso would lay a firm foundation for his reign.
“We want to field the strongest side so that we start winning games and have the winning mentality back,” he said.
“I have seen the guys, they have a strong mind, want to play the game and should be ready.
“We are not expecting anything new from this match besides that Mandigora is gone. We played (Highlanders) last weekend and I was there on the bench.”
