Fote remarks irk Kananji
Big Bullets coach Elia Kananji insists he is in the dark about his contract and those of his backroom team expiring and has asked Big Bullets management to say bluntly if they do not need the coaches’ services.
After winning the Super League championship last week, Bullets general secretary Harold Fote was quoted telling The Nation that Kananji, team manager Fundi Akidu, deputy coaches Mabvuto Lungu and Llyod Nkhawazi’s one-year contracts had expired and have to, alongside consultant coach Nsanzuwrimo Ramadhan, reapply if they want to be retained.
“Ine sindikudziwa chilichonse. Ngakhale anzanga sanandiuze ndipo ngati zili choncho, kwa ine ndikoyamba kumva zoterozo. Ngati sukumufuna munthu, umangonena kuti inu yendelani yanu (It is news to me. Even my colleagues have not told me about this. If they do not need our services, they best way is for them to tell us to leave,” Kananji said on Thursday.
The Nation
had, on contracts expiring, sought Kananji’s position from Bulawayo, Zimbabwe where he is assisting the Malawi Under-17 national football team head coach Derklerk Msakakuona at the 2014 African Union Sports Council (Ausc) Zone V Youth Games.
On the same Thursday, The Nation contacted Lungu, who insisted that he still has a running contract with the Bullets and would, therefore, not engage in such talk.
On Friday morning, Fote appeared to shift the goalposts in an interview with Zodiak Broadcasting Station, saying it was technical director Billy Tewesa’s contract that had expired, whereas the rest’s contracts will technically end next March.
Fote backed up his earlier remarks by saying in football, a season is regarded as a year, hence theoretically the mention of expiry of the contracts. He added that Bullets executive would enter into early contract negotiations with the coaches.
It appears Bullets’ ambition to participate in 2015 CAF Champions League has given management an opportunity to advance their wish of making Ramadhan head coach as Kananji and his backroom team do not have minimum CAF C licences required for those managing clubs involved in the continental competition.
Ramadhan joined the coaching panel late in the campaign, when Bullets strikers were struggling to put away chances. Coincidently, strikers Mussa Manyenje, Frazer Menyani, Jimmy Zakazaka and Jaffalie Chande started scoring.
However, the influence of the South Africa-based Ramadhan is debatable as he joined the team after they had won Carlsberg Cup and IntoSports trophy under Kananji.
