Sports / Local
Bosso's Akbay not yet on duty
18 Feb 2016 at 07:00hrs | Views
NEW Highlanders head coach Erol Akbay officially starts work on Monday. He will not be on the bench when the Bulawayo giants take part in a four-team football festival scheduled for Barbourfields Stadium on Sunday as part of the club's 90th anniversary commemorations.
The Bulawayo Football Festival will also feature Tsholotsho FC, new boys Bulawayo City and How Mine FC.
Highlanders' chief executive officer Ndumiso Gumede said assistant coach Amini Soma-Phiri and technical advisor Cosmas Zulu will hold fort for the football festival and hand over the reins to Akbay after the tournament.
Akbay has, however, been attending the team's training sessions and even held a meeting with the club's entire technical staff from the juniors to the first team to spell out his coaching expectations and notify them about his expectations.
"The coach will officially take charge on Monday, although he will be present to assess the performance of the team. It is rather too early for him to sit on the bench on Sunday and run the show and we will continue having our assistants handling the games. However, he is already attending all the training sessions," said Gumede.
The Dutchman arrived in Bulawayo on Tuesday and signed a two-year performance-based contract. The club's executive also set a top four target for Akbay in his maiden season and to deliver the league title in 2017.
He is also expected to stay within reach of the league's leading pack in his first 10 games and achieve at least 60 percent success within those games.
Games at the Bulawayo Football Festival on Sunday will be 30 minutes per half, while the final will have 40-minute halves.
Only players registered with the Premier Soccer League and those on trials will be eligible to play in the tournament. A maximum of seven substitutions will be allowed.
Games that end in a stalemate in regulation time will go straight into penalties and the two teams that make the final will share 60 percent of the gate takings, while the other two will share the remaining 40 percent.
Gate charges will be $2 all-round for adults and children's entry fees will be $1 for two.
The Bulawayo Football Festival will also feature Tsholotsho FC, new boys Bulawayo City and How Mine FC.
Highlanders' chief executive officer Ndumiso Gumede said assistant coach Amini Soma-Phiri and technical advisor Cosmas Zulu will hold fort for the football festival and hand over the reins to Akbay after the tournament.
Akbay has, however, been attending the team's training sessions and even held a meeting with the club's entire technical staff from the juniors to the first team to spell out his coaching expectations and notify them about his expectations.
"The coach will officially take charge on Monday, although he will be present to assess the performance of the team. It is rather too early for him to sit on the bench on Sunday and run the show and we will continue having our assistants handling the games. However, he is already attending all the training sessions," said Gumede.
The Dutchman arrived in Bulawayo on Tuesday and signed a two-year performance-based contract. The club's executive also set a top four target for Akbay in his maiden season and to deliver the league title in 2017.
He is also expected to stay within reach of the league's leading pack in his first 10 games and achieve at least 60 percent success within those games.
Games at the Bulawayo Football Festival on Sunday will be 30 minutes per half, while the final will have 40-minute halves.
Only players registered with the Premier Soccer League and those on trials will be eligible to play in the tournament. A maximum of seven substitutions will be allowed.
Games that end in a stalemate in regulation time will go straight into penalties and the two teams that make the final will share 60 percent of the gate takings, while the other two will share the remaining 40 percent.
Gate charges will be $2 all-round for adults and children's entry fees will be $1 for two.
Source - chronicle
