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If he does, Will Mapeza warm-up to Dutchman’s blue-eyed boys?
Nhau Correspondent
Hendrikus Pieter De Jongh was derailed by CAF, but there is no guarantee that he does not have a bone to pick with FC Platinum too.
The Zimbabwean champions made a difficult decision to separate with the coach after CAF could not give him a waiver to sit on the bench without a CAF A licence.
And in the process, FC appointed their former coach Norman Mapeza, who has a well-defined philosophy and does not hesitate to ship-out whoever does not fit into his game plan.
On another day, FC Platinum could have appointed another assistant coach while the Dutch coach regularised his qualifications.
Instead FC Platinum were not ready for all those possibilities and details. Appointment of their former coach was the gateway while De Jongh and his train were derailed.
The Dutchman’s true feelings will be heard on Saturday when he addresses a press conference in Bulawayo, a place he called “his home town” in a video circulating.
This comes at a time when Mapeza is also trying to forge ahead with the team in the CAF Champions League, starting with a date with Costa do Sol of Mozambigue on tomorrow (Saturday).
“I have only been with the boys for only three-four days. There are massive changes since the time I left. There are new players.
“The coaches that were here are no longer here. We need time with the boys to know some of the new players. And we see from there,” Mapeza said before departure.
Sources from FC Platinum indicate that the Dutchman had also managed to come with players he believed best suited his type of play, with some simply being blue-eyed boys.
As a result, some of the established players like Gift Bello were not deemed good enough.
“Bello was not the only one. Look, there were also other players that felt sidelined despite being key in FC Platinum’s success in the past,” said the source.
“So, with Mapeza’s return, that will certainly change. Whether he will warm-up to some of the new players brought in under the previous coaches, that is a story for another day.
“But what is certain is players he trusts, for as long as a they are good, they will certainly bounce back and some even made the trip to Mozambique.”
Among the new recruits, only Silas Songani and Ralph Kawondera can effectively claim their place in the team whilst the rest will need to work extra hard to impress Mapeza.
While the Dutchman had introduced a more pressing game which did not have much of build-ups from the back, Mapeza sticks to the basics and demands more ball possession. Nhau/Indaba
