The Sunday Mail
The Zifa board has warned Warriors coach Ian “Dibango” Gorowa and blundering chief executive Jonathan Mashingaidze to ensure that their strained relationship does not affect national team business.
Zifa board member responsible for national teams Tawengwa Hara confirmed that the pair has been warned against taking their tiff into Warriors territory.
He disclosed that Gorowa and Mashingaidze’s frosty relationship featured prominently during negotiations for the gaffer’s new contract.
“The normalisation of relations was one of the conditions that Gorowa gave us as we negotiated for a new contract,” said Hara. “Gorowa felt there must be better communication between him and his boss (Mashingaidze), the boss also had issues that he felt needed to be addressed.
“At the end of the day we as the Zifa board took Gorowa’s apology to Mash after the coach has called him a habitual liar and Mash accepted it.
“The Zifa chief executive also promised to improve on areas that the coach raised concern with.
“So as the Warriors get into camp we expect a normal flow of business, both guys have been told as much.”
The topsy-turvy relationship between Gorowa and Mashingaidze took a turn for the worse at the beginning of the year as it spilled into the media. A miffed Gorowa described Mashingaidze, who is believed to be Zifa president Cuthbert Dube’s blue-eyed boy, of being a habitual liar.
The national team coach’s verbal jab came after the Zifa chief executive had claimed, back in February, that Gorowa had been offered a new contract when nothing could have been further from the truth.
“That man is a habitual liar, tell him I said that and see what he does,” the Warriors gaffer charged at the time.
Gorowa has very little regard for Mashingaidze.
However, for the good of the “national team” the coach is said to have promised to find a way of working with the Zifa chief executive.
On his part Mashingaidze, who also commands very little respect among members of the Zifa board save for his godfather Dube, accuses Gorowa of insubordination.
“Mash (Mashingaidze) says Dibango behaves like a law unto himself, he says Gorowa does not respect him as the Zifa CEO.
“He is also not amused by the manner in which Gorowa described him as a habitual liar in the national media sometime this year.
“Clearly Gorowa thinks Mash is not a competent chief executive while Mash believes his subordinate has grown big-headed.
“It is for that reason that Mash was one of the people who unsuccessfully pushed for the axing of Gorowa in favour of Methembe Ndlovu,” a mole at 53 Livingstone Avenue disclosed.
Now with the Warriors getting into camp tonight to prepare for next weekend’s 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier away to Tanzania, fears are abound that Gorowa and Mashingaidze’s strained relationship will choke operations.
Questions are lingering whether the move by Zifa is the best that could be done, considering that the two have to work closely in executing national team duties.
Is this not a matter of sweeping problems under the carpet?
It remains to be seen, but the nation remains hopeful.
