Dynamos in dilemma

DYNAMOS coach Callisto Pasuwa has ruled out rushing to appoint a new assistant before he leaves for national duty with the Warriors at the African nations Championships in South Africa early next month, leaving the Harare giants' management divided over the gaffer's move.

Pasuwa already has Philemon Mutyakureva, Tichaona Diya and team manager Richard Chihoro as his lieutenants.

But the three-time championship coach has increasingly found himself under immense pressure from the club's management to choose another assistant ever since he fired his deputy Tonderai Ndiraya with some within the club's leadership casting doubts over the trio of Mutyakureva, Diya and Chihoro to manage the team in Pasuwa's absence.

The Dynamos management who met with their coach yesterday believe they could be in a dilemma when Pasuwa, who is national coach Ian Gorowa's Number Two leaves for the CHAN tournament with the Warriors on January 6.

Pasuwa could be in South Africa up to February 1 in the event that the Warriors advance beyond the group stage games which will finish on January 21.

Monomotapa coach Biggie Zuze has been leading the race for those touted as possible substantive replacement for Ndiraya on the Dynamos bench amid arguments from those opposed to Pasuwa's decision to stick to Mutyakureva that 43-year-old needs a more "experienced right hand man''.

The Harare giants' management last night still appeared to be in a dilemma despite earlier meeting with the coach over the plan that he has put in place for their Champions League campaign which will start just a week after the CHAN final is staged in South Africa.

The Dynamos executive led chairman by Kenny Mubaiwa yesterday convened a meeting with the technical team where they discussed the coach's plans in the build-up to the Champions League and also took stock of the squad they have now ahead of the December 31 Caf deadline for player registration.

DeMbare were drawn in the preliminary round against Botswana's Mochudi Centre Chiefs with the first leg scheduled for Rufaro on February 9 and the return match a week later.

Mubaiwa said the Harare giants are hoping to do thorough preparations ahead of their first game.
The champions could however, be without their head coach for four weeks should the Warriors reach the CHAN final.
Pasuwa is already on national duty with the Warriors who are in camp in preparation for the CHAN competition.

The 43-year-old coach's impending long absence from Dynamos' pre-season preparations has heightened speculation that a "more seasoned assistant would be hired with Zuze's name being thrown into the fray.

Mubaiwa who had two weeks ago confirmed tabling an offer for Zuze however refused to shed light on whether the former DeMbare midfielder would be joining their technical team.

This also came as Pasuwa stuck with his men and told the executive during yesterday's meeting that he had confidence in his current backroom staff.
Mubaiwa also confirmed that his management had been concerned about the effects of Pasuwa's long absence away on national duty.

"We are cognisant of the fact that the coach will be traveling with the national team and we have asked him how he intends to go about it and he was quite frank that he has confidence in his assistants.

"He believes they can do the job, the same way they have been working together. They have prepared a working programme which the assistants will be following until he returns.

"He promised that they will deliver and the executive accepted his proposal because what is important is to get the results," said Mubaiwa.
During the meeting Pasuwa presented a training programme which will see the Dynamos players regrouping on Friday to begin their preparations for their Champions League campaign.

Dynamos had given their players a week's break for the Christmas holidays but they have indicated that they will not have another rest on New Year.

The technical team also proposed that they would want to engage in friendly matches on January 19, 26 and February 2 to assess their team.

The friendly games will also be crucial for match fitness to enable them to get compete with their opponents Mochudi Centre Chiefs who are now in the second half of their season.

Mubaiwa admitted they had failed to get most of the players they had targeted to beef up their squad. But amid the gloom there was a ray of hope with Triangle midfielder Walter Mukanga who is believed to have finally agreed to move to the Harare giants after lengthy negotiations.

DeMbare, who unveiled a 24-member squad last week, might be forced to use the bulk of the players from the previous season and the management team was by late yesterday still locked in talks for the renewal of Russell Madamombe and Devon Chafa's contracts which expire this month.

They also met with goalkeeper George Chigova's management while former CAPS United and Ajax Cape Town winger Rusike was expected to fly in last night to speed up talks of his possible move to Dynamos.
The Glamour Boys feel the talks with Rusike were dragging too long but they have given themselves the remainder of the week to try and convince the diminutive winger who has been clubless to join them.

"Negotiations are still on with Tafadzwa Rusike and we are hopeful but if nothing materialise by the end of this week we might have to reconsider.

"But with regards to the other players that we had targeted this year I think we have since given up and we may have to do with those that we have.

"We have tried our best to engage them and there were times we thought we could be heading to an agreement and then things just change. We don't really understand it. Maybe they just wanted to use the name Dynamos to negotiate for better packages elsewhere," said Mubaiwa.

But with Pasuwa closing the chapter on the status of his backroom staff, Dynamos are now likely to shift their focus on sealing deals for new players and paying their current players their retention fees and outstanding payments such as signing on fees.