Bosso fires Mr Cooper as coach

THE Highlanders executive has reportedly agreed not to renew the contracts of head  coach Mkhuphali "Mr Cooper" Masuku and team manager Jerry Sibanda which are due to expire at the end of this month.

The Themba Ndlela-led executive met on Monday night and agreed on the move, which will, however, spare goalkeepers' coach Tembo Chuma and the medical team led by Xolani Ndlovu and physiotherapist Loyal Nyika.

Sources close to the goings on at the Bulawayo giants said former player and Zambian, Kelvin Kaindu, who is assistant coach to crack Zambian side Zanaco, is being earmarked for the hot seat with

Bekithemba Ndlovu and Dazy Kapenya his possible assistants.

If confirmed, Kaindu will become the second foreign coach after the acrimonious ending of Egyptian Mohamed Fathi's contract in September last year that saw Masuku being elevated to the post.

Masuku's assistant, Dumaza Dube, who came in towards the end of the season where he had guided the Highlanders juniors to league title victories in their various age groups, is set to revert to the junior structures.

Club chairman Ndlela confirmed the Monday night meeting, but said it was one of their usual  meetings which had nothing to write home about.

"Yes, we did meet yesterday but I can not tell you what we resolved as you know that we meet every Monday to discuss club issues which are really not for public consumption," said Ndlela.

When pressed to come up with a position on Masuku, Ndlela said that position will be known before Sunday, a thinly veiled confirmation that some heads have rolled.

In an earlier interview two weeks back, Ndlela had told this publication that the Highlanders family would know the composition of their technical team before the Christmas holidays.

While Ndlela was not coming clean, other sources within the club said Masuku would indeed not be part of the structures at the club next season with part of his crime being failure to follow club policy on players besides the team's seventh place finish on the final log standings.

Sibanda has reportedly been approached by former players who want him to challenge for the position of the powerful secretary general's post, presently held by Andrew Tapela. Former team manager Emmet Ndlovu is also eyeing the same post.

During their mid year extraordinary meeting last year, Ndlela promised the members that the club would now focus on promoting their own players from junior structures unless and until the player was exceptionally good such that he would command a first team jersey and deliver.

"Instead we saw old horses like Lovemore Makwavarara coming into the fray and youngsters like Tollbet Shumba being released. We then had Vincent Nzombe who also did not justify why he ever came to Bulawayo," said a source.

However towards the end of the season Masuku at one time fielded 10 players who all came from the junior ranks.

Masuku could not be reached for comment as he is away with the national team in Tanzania for the regional Cecafa Championships.

Highlanders, who usually hold pre-season trials, have already said that they will do away with the practice next year as they have enough players in their ranks, who will mainly come from their juniors.

The club also said they will go into early preparations, a suggestion that next season it will be all guns blazing in their bid to wrestle the championship from their bitter rivals, Harare giants Dynamos, who won it this year after a Houdini act performance in the second half of the season.