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Erol Akbay

Harare Bureau
Despite publicly throwing their weight behind Lloyd Mutasa, Harare giants Dynamos are reportedly working on a bid to lure unsettled Dutch coach Erol Akbay from bitter rivals Highlanders.

Dynamos have made a typical slow start under the tutelage of Mutasa, managing a point from their opening two assignments against FC Platinum at home and Triangle away.

Akbay is understood to be unhappy at Bosso largely because of the problems he has had with the club’s management over his remuneration.

Our Harare Bureau understands that Dynamos are now mulling taking on board the want-away Highlanders coach who of late has been quarrelling with the leadership at Highlanders for their alleged failure to take care of his welfare in terms of the contract they have with the expatriate.

Last week Akbay briefly boycotted training over his welfare and also complained among other things about problems related to sending money to cater for his family in his native Netherlands.

This led to the coach briefly downing tools before he returned to work last Friday.

Mutasa has been working under immense pressure despite the Dynamos leadership having scrapped an initial target they had given him to garner 23 points from 10 games.

Some of Mutasa’s fiercest critics believes the former Kiglon coach does not have the pedigree to lead Dynamos to a championship fight.

Akbay, however, dismissed as mere speculation any talk linking him to Dynamos.

“It’s not true. It is the first time I am hearing this. Maybe people are just speculating. Yes, I have problems here but they have been sorted now,” he said.

Akbay also said there was nothing amiss with any other club expressing interest in him.

“As a coach if at any time there is no club that is interested in you, then you have to ask yourself whether you are doing a good job or not. But no local team has shown any interest in me yet,” said Akbay.

Akbay lost his first game this season on Sunday when Shabanie Mine upstaged Highlanders 1-0 at Barbourfields and the Dutchman said the defeat had nothing to do with the problems he had had earlier in the week.

“The defeat had nothing to do with the problems. We failed to score that was the problem. Shabanie beat us on the counter and the red card affected us and we lost concentration.  But it happens, you lose some matches. But it had nothing to do with last week’s problems,” said Akbay.