National Sports

Pasuwa taking his time on contract talks

Nyasa Big Bullets coach Callisto Pasuwa’s manager Gibson Mahachi has said they are yet to engage Bullets on the prospects of extending his client’s contract.

Mahachi was quoted by The Herald of Zimbabwe that the Zimbabwean coachneeds some rest after a tough and gruelling season that saw the People’s Team defend the TNM Super League title after pipping thweir age-old rivals Be Forward Wanderers by a point.

Having a breather: Pasuwa

He said: “There is nothing that we have discussed with Bullets yet. We should be able to engage them in the coming days.

“The coach needs a bit of rest after a long season. He has done well in the last two seasons and I believe they are still interested to keep him. But I will work with what the coach wants.

“Generally, Bullets have been very good to him. The players, the executive [committee] and the supporters as well, were all behind his efforts, and what more can you ask for from a coach if he delivers two titles in a row?” he was quoted as saying.

Bullets chief administration officer Albert Chigoga said in an interview that they are eager to extend Pasuwa’s contract.

“We were impressed by Pasuwa’s league title defence and the successful team-building project which saw a number of youngsters, such as Charles Petro, Nixon Nyasulu, Peter Banda, Chimwemwe Idana and Hassan Kajoke, excelling in their debut season.

“We did not set any targets for him [Pasuwa]. The priority was the team-building project which has been a huge success as the predominantly youthful squad performed beyond everyone’s expectation to win the league,” he said.

Meanwhile, Mahachi has revealed that Pasuwa did not bother applying for the vacant Zimbabwe national team coaching post because he is still owed huge amounts of money by the Zimbabwe Football Association (Zifa) amounting to $100 000 (about K74.4 million).

Pasuwa and his South African-based compatriot Norman Mapeza were considered as favourites for the vacant Warriors job.

According to The Herald, the 49-year-old, who led Zimbabwe to the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualification, has been regarded as a one of the candidates likely to take over the reins of the national football team following the expiry of his contract with the People’s on December 31.

“Get me right, no Zimbabwean coach can say no to the call to serve his country. Pasuwa feels the same. If the call comes today, he is ready, but for now there are certain outstanding things that need to be sorted out first.

“Pasuwa did his best with the national team under challenging conditions. He always puts his country first. Of course, just like anyone else, he wasn’t a perfect individual. But it’s public knowledge he wasn’t paid his monies in his last job,” Mahachi was quoted as having said. He said they have written to Zifa several times, but got no response.

Related Articles

Back to top button