Innocent Kurira
ARENEL only resumed training on Wednesday ahead of their away clash with Simba Bhora on Saturday, but that has not stopped them from believing they can bring something out of their trip to Shamva.
Their coach, Farai Tawachera, is taking a positive approach to the encounter.
“We have not had the best of preparations ahead of this game but football being football, if we put our minds to the game we might come out with something,” said Tawachera.
Quizzed on the reasons for starting their training sessions on Wednesday, Tawachera swept everything under the carpet.
“The boys have been on a break just like any other team. We met on Wednesday and discussed what we need to do in our next game and we are raring to go,” said Tawachera.
However, Zimpapers Sports Hub has it on good authority that the club is struggling to pay players who had taken industrial action. Despite returning to training, the players are yet to be paid their dues. They will be hoping for a miracle against their highly fancied opponents come Saturday.
They might take hope from the fact that Simba Bhora have not done well against teams from Bulawayo this season, but the poor results were in Bulawayo and not in Shamva. Simba Bhora lost 3-2 to Chicken and also lost to Highlanders and Bulawayo Chiefs on identical 1-0 scoreline.
Former Arenel head coach Kudzayi Mhandire who had shifted to the team manager post on Monday quit the club. Mhandire joined Arenel as head coach in 2021, where he turned the club’s fortunes around, leading them to a third-place finish in 2022 and promotion from the Zifa Southern Region Division One League in 2023.
He was reassigned as team manager, with Tawachera taking over as the gaffer as the former is not qualified to work in the topflight league as coach. Indications are that the unrest at the club forced his move to resign.
