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Amini Soma-Phiri and Cosmas ‘Tsano’ Zulu

Ricky Zililo, Senior Sports Reporter
THE Highlanders executive will decide what action to take on suspended assistant coach Amini Soma-Phiri and goalkeepers’ trainer Cosmas “Tsano” Zulu on Friday.

Soma-Phiri and Zulu were suspended with full pay on June 16 after the club’s leadership felt their personal clashes were negatively impacting the team.

They are facing charges of misdemeanour and will appear before an independent disciplinary tribunal on Thursday.

“The hearing for Soma-Phiri and Zulu is on Thursday. The position of the club will be communicated after an executive meeting set for Friday,” said Nhlanhla Dube, the Highlanders’ chief executive officer.

Bosso intend to go through the required processes quickly to avoid creating further anxiety.

Bulawayo lawyer Zibusiso Ncube will head the independent disciplinary tribunal to hear charges against the suspended duo.

Ncube, a former member of the Zifa Southern Region disciplinary tribunal, ex-Highlanders secretary-general Andrew Tapela and Bosso member Innocent Batsani Ncube will hear the case and make recommendations to the club’s executive committee.

In setting up the independent disciplinary committee, Bosso approached Ncube because of his legal background, with Tapela coming in as someone experienced in football administration, while Batsani has experience in corporate processes and hearings.

Highlanders say they opted for an independent disciplinary tribunal “for transparency, fairness and natural justice”.

The club is of the view that people that are not part of Highlanders’ structures would not be conflicted since they will be viewing the files for the first time.

Zulu and Soma-Phiri are said to have engaged in a heated argument that resulted in them exchanging insults in front of players on their way from Mandava after the abandoned match against FC Platinum on May 28.

The final straw was the argument the two had on the bench when Highlanders embarrassingly lost 0-3 to Black Rhinos at Morris Depot in Harare.

Melusi Sibanda, the club’s developmental side coach, has been assisting head coach Erol Akbay in the absence of the suspended pair.

The goalkeepers, Ariel Sibanda and Prosper Matutu have been training with minimal or no supervision from the technical team.

Even without the goalkeepers’ trainer present, Highlanders’ first choice goalkeeper Sibanda has kept three clean sheets from the 3-0 win over Hwange, the 0-0 draw against How Mine and 1-0 victory over Yadah FC. — @ZililoR