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Erol Akbay

Bothwell Mahlengwe Correspondent
WHEN I recently suggested that Highlanders’ fortunes were set to nosedive, I received a lot of criticism from some of the club’s die-hard fans who felt that I had lost my senses.

But that comes with the territory, and it’s something I have learnt to embrace.

Well, sadly, it appears my words came to pass, but there are many Bosso fans who are still in denial.

Fair and fine.

It’s not every season that football fans are treated to the Harare Derby and the Battle of Cities in succession.

In the past, DeMbare would have complained about such a fixture arrangement because of the challenges that it presents to their players who have to play two of their toughest matches back-to-back. Now, throughout the week, we haven’t heard any complaints coming from the Glamour Boys camp and that should be telling.

Last week, I predicted a DeMbare win in the Harare Derby and it came to pass, although, to their credit, CAPS United put up a credible show despite all the challenges they have faced in the past two months, including the loss of some key players. I have been impressed with the way the Green Machine have come together, in such trying times, rather than be divided by their challenges.

The fans didn’t throw missiles at the leaders for allowing key players to leave during the middle of the season, they didn’t criticise the leaders when reports surfaced that there were some financial challenges in their camp but, instead, they even came up with their awards to try and inspire the players.

Even when they lost the Harare Derby, they didn’t attack Lloyd Chitembwe and his coaching staff but even saluted the coach and his players after the match.

Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about Highlanders.

Cosmas Zulu

When trouble hit the Bosso camp, they turned against each other – the war between Amini Soma-Phiri and Cosmas Zulu, the war between Elroy Akbay and the club leadership etc, etc. What started as a promising season for the Bulawayo giants is turning into a nightmare.

When was the last time Highlanders lost four games on the trot? To think that come end of day Sunday, it will be five, is really sad. Disasters strike, all the time, challenges knock you down here and there but big families stand together and find their way out of it together.

Parents don’t trade blows in front of their children and the whole neighbourhood. Zambia lost an entire national team in a plane crash but the country stuck together and in 2012 they were crowned champions of Africa.

They could even go to the 2018 World Cup finals. Some people at Highlanders behave as if Zimbabwean football owes their club a favour.

It doesn’t.

Times are changing and if they don’t come together and resolve their challenges as a family, the Battle of Zimbabwe could lose its relevance. Bosso have, in the past few weeks, fought hard to degrade the value and stature of the Battle of Zimbabwe set for the capital on Sunday.

How can one expect a contest from a team that has lost all of its last four games playing against one with six consecutive wins?

In their last six matches, Highlanders have managed to score only two goals conceding six, that is, a goal per game. Dynamos have been scoring for fun, during the same period, banging in 15 and conceding only one.

Sunday’s contest is a big mismatch, whichever way one looks at it. Of course, miracles do happen. But I don’t see it happening on Sunday because there is a monster called Lloyd Mutasa who has thrived under the same conditions Akbay is mourning about.

The Chazunguza Chauya train is crushing everything in its way. They are ruthless, morale and confidence is at its highest and their only challenge on Sunday is to guard against complacency.

It’s sad that we can only watch, from a distance, as what remains of what used to be a powerful football institution called Highlanders, one of the pillars of our football, stagger from one crisis to another.

If they are not careful, they could be humiliated at Rufaro on Sunday.

Maybe, just maybe, this club needs such a humiliation to find a solution to the crisis devouring it.

•  Bothwell Mahlengwe is a banker and former Premiership footballer and can be contacted, for feedback, on the email: [email protected]