Highlanders Family in dilemma as calls for Rahman Gumbo's return intensify

Following a humiliating 4 - 1 defeat in the hands of perennial rivals Dynamos in the TM Hyper Pick n Pay challenge yesterday, the multitude of Highlanders fans is in complete dilemma not sure of the way forward for the team.

Highlanders has not been able to beat Dynamos in open play for the last nine years in all competitions. This has caused a lot of despondency amongst the Highlanders faithfuls who get disappointed at every outing against Dynamos. Yesterday's defeat appears to have been the most striking if reactions on social media are anything to go by.

Administrators of a Highlanders Facebook page have presented four varying options on what should be done going forward.

"Admin 1 says: Kelvin Kaindu must stay, he is a good coach. He contends that the problem is that our team has been turned into an old people's home. His submission is we must release all players above 30 and allow Kelvin Kaindu to start afresh.

"Admin 2 says: Kelvin Kaindu has failed at Bosso, no coach has stayed at Bosso this long having failed to beat dynamos in 3 years. He contends that Kaindu has worked with different players and has the best players in the league but still fails to beat dynamos. His final submission is, Kaindu must go and bring in a new coach who will see out the season building for next year."

"Admin 3: The executive must step down for failing to stamp its authority and corroding Bosso culture of depending on junior policy into that of buying all and sundry, some of the players don't even have bosso at heart but are there for the money. He contends that the executive is too lenient on Kaindu and his technical department and the players, failing to rein on them each time they lose to Dynamos. The executive must step down."

"Admin 4 is in a no nonsense mood, he says FIRE the Executive, Fire KK and his entire technical bench, Fire all the players who have lost to dynamos 4 times inside 9 months. He says let's start all over again."

In reaction, a multitude of fans seem to be favouring the idea of dismissing the entire executive, players and technical staff and hire a new coach who will assemble a new team from the club's junior teams and a few from the current squad. Former coach Rahman Gumbo's name who is currently coaching in Botswana is the fans' favourite to take over from the Zambian coach Kaindu who they want out.

The fans generally bring a belief that the current Bosso team does not have what they call the Highlanders culture at heart because most of the players are bought into the Highlanders set up from other clubs. The fans demand an immediate promotion of players from the robust Highlanders junior policy. Fans claim that the club has always relied on their junior policy to build the team not buy players from other clubs.

Some rogue elements are however taking the matter beyond just football and have opted to make it a tribal issue. This group of fans somehow put the blame on what they say is too many players of Shona origins in the team and not worried about Highlanders. The Zimbabwean soccer rivalry between Dynamos and Highlanders fans has over the years developed into an unfortunate stereotype which tags Dynamos as being a Shona team and Highlanders a Ndebele team. This stereotype has resulted in numerous tribal clashes and ridicules between the fans every time the teams play each other.

Commenting on the outcome of the match a devastated Kaindu said that it felt really bad losing to Dynamos over and over again.

"Football is a pressure game and we could not sustain pressure....... it feels bad to be defeated by Dynamos in every passing game," said Kelvin Kaindu amid huge calls from the fans for him to go and make way for Rahman Gumbo.

The Highlanders executive has not yet made any statement on the loss nor on the future of the club following the fans' calls for action.