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Ricky Zililo Senior Sports Reporter
CRACKS have emerged in the Highlanders technical set-up with technical advisor Cosmas Zulu and assistant coach Amini Soma-Phiri squabbling over the choice of Under-20 players to fill the club’s junior quota.

Under the Premier Soccer League regulations, all clubs are required to register five Under-20 players in their 30-man squads for the season.

It emerged during the club’s executive and technical team meeting at the Highlanders’ offices on Wednesday that only new Dutch coach Erol Akbay signed the provisional squad list presented to the executive due to Zulu and Soma-Phiri’s differences.

The executive threw the list back at the technical team and ordered them to reach a consensus before submitting a final one.

Chronicle Sport has it on good authority that the impasse is over Zulu’s opposition to the registration of right-back Nkosana Ndlovu, who turned out for the club’s Under-18s in 2015. Zulu has argued that Ndlovu is still too young to be promoted to the senior team.

Zulu and Soma-Phiri also clashed over striker Thembalethu Mthunzi, who was part of the juniors’ quota last season, as well as the acquisition of Zambian goalkeeper Sitali Nyambwe, who has been signed on a season’s deal with the option of an extension.

Highlanders’ chief executive officer Ndumiso Gumede downplayed the discord, describing it as just “differing opinions”.

He said they had given Zulu and Soma-Phiri time to iron out their differences and append their signatures to the squad list before it can be made public.

“In as far as preparations are concerned, the squad is there, but we can’t release it because there were differing opinions over junior slots. The coach (Akbay) has signed, giving thumbs up to the squad, but we’re waiting for the other gentlemen (Zulu and soma-Phiri) to append their signatures,” said Gumede.

Highlanders have made a deliberate decision not to buy any players, but instead promote their juniors to restore a culture of belonging and pride within the team.

At previous annual general meetings, bona fide Highlanders’ members have been clamouring for local talent and believe that it is still possible to unearth another gem in the mould of the legendary Peter Ndlovu from the club’s junior ranks.

Ndlovu broke into the first team at the age of 16 and since then, no coach has been brave enough to blood in youngsters to the senior team.

Highlanders have a number of youngsters in the first team that include Prince Dube, Brian Banda, Danmore Chakwana, Bukhosi Dube and Adrian Silla, a product of Joel Luphahla’s Dubai 7 Academy.

Meanwhile, Highlanders are on the verge of sealing a deal with Harare’s ZRP FC, formerly known as Black Mambas, for the services of striker Kasimero Chimbadzwa.

Gumede said they were expecting a favourable response from ZRP FC.