Sports / Local
'Its high time Bosso board steps down for the better of the club': Sibanda
29 Dec 2011 at 23:10hrs | Views
Former Highlanders player, coach and organising secretary Mackenzie Sibanda has called on the entire club executive to step down to allow for fresh ideas to take over. He said the Themba Ndlela management had failed to deliver and had let down the institution, driving Bosso to embarrassing crowds of less than 500 at Barbourfields Stadium.
However, Ndlela said last night it would not be a fair assessment for people to look at the results of the first team only. They finished seventh in the Castle Lager Premiership.
The Bosso chairman said people needed to be broad in their review of his executive and dismissed calls for them to step down en masse.
"Our performance should be looked at in totality, how the team fared on the field, development thrust and financially. We did well and there is no basis for us to step down en masse," said Ndlela.
While he put up a brave face, results were just bad for a team that was renowned for being a crowd puller.
"This is bad, it's not like Highlanders. That paltry crowd is even smaller than the number that used to turn out to watch the club at training. Surely that must tell you there is something wrong at the club.
"Highlanders needs to regain its status as a football giant. We are a big institution and we are grateful to have had people like Ndumiso Gumede coming on board and seeing the need for the club to acquire properties," said Sibanda who played for the club from 1950-1968.
Sibanda pioneered the club junior programme the year he retired as a player starting off with players like Douglas Mloyi's elder brother the late Tennyson, Kainoti Luphahla and Collen Dube. For years the project has been the envy of many and this year the club, under fired Dumaza Dube, won the Under-14 and Under-18 championships in the Bulawayo Province League.
He said what the club needed were executive members who would subject themselves to the Highlanders culture and work for the club's glory and growth and not for a faction of supporters.
"Executive members must be initiated by club elders, they must know where the club comes from and its values that have kept it an intact institution from 1926 at its inception.
"It was club culture that executive members are initiated by elders," said Sibanda.
He also took a swipe at the board and Amavevane.
"Amavevane are not Highlanders and should stay a social team that minds its own affairs. If they want Ndlela as chairman they must vote him to head their club and not Highlanders, he has failed. Most of the recent executive members have been via that social team and they have failed Highlanders.
"As for the board, we should have directors like in a company of people who put their money for the organisation's operations and business direction. But what we have seen is a situation where people without even football and business curriculum vitae find themselves in the board.
"If I was younger I would run for the chairmanship and deal with the board. It's high time most of them stepped down for the better of the club just like the present executive which has been a failure. Change in the executive is imminent," said the man who was organising secretary of the club in the 1970s ,who boasts of triumphs in the Bafa, Townshend and Butcher and Livingstone Memorial tournaments, to mention a few.
Two weeks ago Amavevane chairman Jonfet Sibanda drew the ire of the broader Highlanders family when he declared that his 55-member organisation would all vote for the retention of Ndlela.
The club is not an affiliate of Highlanders but members come to join Bosso in their individual capacities.
A number of seasoned and promising players at Highlanders are said to be out of contract with Louis Matawu and Gilbert Banda having already joined FC Platinum as free agents.
Last year a number of star performers who included Menard Mupera, Brighton Dube, Joel Ngodzo, Francis Kanda and Zephaniah Ngodzo left as free agents after the executive failed to retain them. With them left all the promise for a brighter future on the field for the club as management continued to watch debts soar.
Ndlela is deputised by Sikhanyiso Moyo, with Andrew Tapela as secretary, Odiel Nkomo is treasurer and Wisdom Mabhena committee member.
Ndlela, Tapela and Mabhena's time will be up at the end of January, with elections set for the beginning of February next year.
Mandla Moyo and Ndlela have said they are in the running for the hot seat.
Former club physiotherapy technician Emmett Ndlovu is challenging Tapela with Dingani Moyo set to ensure the post stays a preserve of former gate marshals when he takes on incumbent, Mabhena.
Sibanda said besides club patron Taffi Moyo he was now among a few who could be called Highlanders elders from whom executive members could get to know more about club history and culture.
However, Ndlela said last night it would not be a fair assessment for people to look at the results of the first team only. They finished seventh in the Castle Lager Premiership.
The Bosso chairman said people needed to be broad in their review of his executive and dismissed calls for them to step down en masse.
"Our performance should be looked at in totality, how the team fared on the field, development thrust and financially. We did well and there is no basis for us to step down en masse," said Ndlela.
While he put up a brave face, results were just bad for a team that was renowned for being a crowd puller.
"This is bad, it's not like Highlanders. That paltry crowd is even smaller than the number that used to turn out to watch the club at training. Surely that must tell you there is something wrong at the club.
"Highlanders needs to regain its status as a football giant. We are a big institution and we are grateful to have had people like Ndumiso Gumede coming on board and seeing the need for the club to acquire properties," said Sibanda who played for the club from 1950-1968.
Sibanda pioneered the club junior programme the year he retired as a player starting off with players like Douglas Mloyi's elder brother the late Tennyson, Kainoti Luphahla and Collen Dube. For years the project has been the envy of many and this year the club, under fired Dumaza Dube, won the Under-14 and Under-18 championships in the Bulawayo Province League.
He said what the club needed were executive members who would subject themselves to the Highlanders culture and work for the club's glory and growth and not for a faction of supporters.
"Executive members must be initiated by club elders, they must know where the club comes from and its values that have kept it an intact institution from 1926 at its inception.
"It was club culture that executive members are initiated by elders," said Sibanda.
He also took a swipe at the board and Amavevane.
"Amavevane are not Highlanders and should stay a social team that minds its own affairs. If they want Ndlela as chairman they must vote him to head their club and not Highlanders, he has failed. Most of the recent executive members have been via that social team and they have failed Highlanders.
"As for the board, we should have directors like in a company of people who put their money for the organisation's operations and business direction. But what we have seen is a situation where people without even football and business curriculum vitae find themselves in the board.
"If I was younger I would run for the chairmanship and deal with the board. It's high time most of them stepped down for the better of the club just like the present executive which has been a failure. Change in the executive is imminent," said the man who was organising secretary of the club in the 1970s ,who boasts of triumphs in the Bafa, Townshend and Butcher and Livingstone Memorial tournaments, to mention a few.
Two weeks ago Amavevane chairman Jonfet Sibanda drew the ire of the broader Highlanders family when he declared that his 55-member organisation would all vote for the retention of Ndlela.
The club is not an affiliate of Highlanders but members come to join Bosso in their individual capacities.
A number of seasoned and promising players at Highlanders are said to be out of contract with Louis Matawu and Gilbert Banda having already joined FC Platinum as free agents.
Last year a number of star performers who included Menard Mupera, Brighton Dube, Joel Ngodzo, Francis Kanda and Zephaniah Ngodzo left as free agents after the executive failed to retain them. With them left all the promise for a brighter future on the field for the club as management continued to watch debts soar.
Ndlela is deputised by Sikhanyiso Moyo, with Andrew Tapela as secretary, Odiel Nkomo is treasurer and Wisdom Mabhena committee member.
Ndlela, Tapela and Mabhena's time will be up at the end of January, with elections set for the beginning of February next year.
Mandla Moyo and Ndlela have said they are in the running for the hot seat.
Former club physiotherapy technician Emmett Ndlovu is challenging Tapela with Dingani Moyo set to ensure the post stays a preserve of former gate marshals when he takes on incumbent, Mabhena.
Sibanda said besides club patron Taffi Moyo he was now among a few who could be called Highlanders elders from whom executive members could get to know more about club history and culture.
Source - chronicle
