Zimpapers Logo

Tadious Manyepo Sports Reporter

SUSPENDED Dynamos coach Tonderai Ndiraya will have to wait a bit longer before knowing his fate at the Castle Lager Premiership football club. 

This follows a crisis meeting held by the club executive on Saturday last week. 

The reasons behind the decision by the club to suspend Ndiraya remain unclear although it is believed the coach stands accused of insubordination and arrogance. 

The Isaiah Mupfurutsa-led Dynamos executive had hinted on Monday a decision on the mentor’s future would be finalised yesterday.

But in an interview with ZTN Prime television channel which went live on the Dstv platform yesterday, Mupfurutsa appeared to be making a summersault. 

He said Ndiraya remained the Glamour Boys coach and his suspension is meant to create room for internal processes. 

Dynamos have failed to pay players their winning bonuses in the past 26 games including 13 matches in the Chibuku Super Cup and as many games in the league. 

Dynamos lost only three games in the past 29 games. 

And as pressure mounted from the players, who have taken the issue with their representative board, Footballers Union of Zimbabwe (FUZ), the under-pressure DeMbare executive sacrificed Ndiraya. 

A number of coaches have been lined up as possible replacements for Ndiraya but the team seem to have come to terms with reality and are considering retaining the gaffer. 

“Let me clear something here, Tonderai Ndiraya remains the Dynamos head coach as it stands. 

“That suspension or the request for him not to report for duty was (is) only as a temporary measure to (allow) the club to deal with certain issues internally,” said Mupfurutsa yesterday. 

“Unlike what was given in the press statement, we don’t copy on that. What we said is that he (Ndiraya) will not be reporting for duty as far as we can go. 

“All other things which are being said in the social media and elsewhere are not coming from Dynamos, we do things professionally respecting each person’s privacy and the institution’s privacy.” 

Mupfurutsa is believed to be the one pressing for Ndiraya’s ouster, having personally called ZPC Kariba coach, Rodwell Dhlakama, requesting him to take Ndiraya’s position at Dynamos back in February. 

Although the Harare banker has tried to deny it, The Herald has it on good authority that he indeed contacted Dhlakama at a time when the latter was on suspension at Ngezi Platinum Stars. 

Under the proposed arrangement, Ndiraya would have been relegated to the duty of assistant coach. But Dhlakama, for professional reasons, rejected the offer. 

Ndiraya’s suspension drama is happening at a time when the Glamour Boys have been doing well in the league. 

DeMbare are currently second on the log with 30 points, just one shy of leaders Chicken Inn after 15 games. So good have been the Harare giants, they had gone for nine games without tasting defeat, dropping points in only two games in that stretch when they shared spoils with Ngezi Platinum and Bulawayo City. 

There are fears the internal instability caused by Ndiraya’s suspension would shake the Glamour Boys ship. 

DeMbare, who are currently being mentored by deputies Naison Muchekela and Gift “Umbro” Muzadzi, play in-form Herentals at the National Sports Stadium on Sunday. 

But Mupfurutsa thinks otherwise. 

“We don’t think (what is happening will affect Dynamos’ performance in the league) because as an institution we have structures and systems that are there to work because, for example, our coach (Ndiraya) has been in the national team several times, he used to go for national assignments but we didn’t stop business.

“The club continued with business, we have assistant coaches who know what to do.