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Kelvin Kaindu

Ricky Zililo Senior Sports Reporter—
KELVIN Kaindu will be sacked as Highlanders coach if they fail to win the Premier League title, club CEO Ndumiso Gumede said last night. Kaindu met club chiefs for four hours yesterday after a string of poor results left them trailing champions Dynamos by four points with just seven matches before the season ends. And asked last night what the club’s minimum expectations were, Gumede said: “For us, being at the top of the pack is a measure of success.

“Mathematically, there’re 21 points up for grabs and unless there’s a miracle, not all teams can garner 21 points. Our wish is to win all our remaining games.”
Gumede would not say explicitly that Kaindu faces the axe, but making the Premier League title a target for the Zambian coach — with Highlanders struggling for form — signals an impending end to his three-year reign at the club during which the league title has eluded him.

Kaindu can still win the Chibuku Super Cup after Highlanders reached the semi-finals. The club is also targeting the Mbada Diamonds Cup — which they won last year — but the tournament remains in doubt.

But club bosses, who met Kaindu from 4PM until 8PM at the club’s Robert Mugabe Way offices last night, told the Zambian expatriate only winning the championship would be acceptable.

Highlanders succumbed 1-0 away to Harare City on Saturday, and they trail Dynamos by four points after 23 rounds of matches.
Bosso have in the last two seasons finished runners-up to Dynamos, and it appears being second best is no longer preferred at the Bulawayo giants.

Kaindu signed a watertight contract that will require Bosso to pay at least $60,000 if they are to fire him. Club sources say he remains within the performance target set by the club — which will rile supporters who are growing despondent over the club’s poor run of form.

Highlanders are left with a tricky seven games, including a home match with ambitious ZPC Kariba and an away visit to Caps United who are also vying for the league championship. They also face a trip away to Hwange in between meetings with Chicken Inn (home), Chiredzi FC (home) and Shabanie Mine (away). They wrap-up the season with a home assignment with Chapungu.

Highlanders last won the league title in 2006, which coincidentally is the last time they beat Dynamos in the league.
Kaindu is aware of the expectations of the Highlanders fans.

Gumede said: “At our meeting today, we expressed to the technical department the concerns everybody connected to the club — that is the advisory board, executive, workers, members, supporters, sympathisers and sponsors.

“Everybody is worried, if not concerned, with the pathetic performance displayed against Harare City. That pathetic performance can’t be repeated.
“We accept a team may have an off day and we would like to assume that’s what happened at Harare City, especially coming from an emphatic win against How Mine. That sad episode should be put behind and we implored the technical department to make sure that the players understand the enormity of the responsibility that lies on their shoulders.”
With the league championship now out of their hands, Highlanders must concentrate on their matches and hope Dynamos will drop points.

Dynamos are left with just one trip out of Harare in their remaining seven games — a visit to Moses Chunga’s Buffaloes in Mutare on Week 25.
The defending champions’ next league match is against Shabanie Mine followed by the trip to Mutare, Chapungu (home), Harare City (away), Bantu Rovers (home), ZPC Kariba who play their away games in Harare and How Mine (home).

Remaining Top 5 Castle Lager Premier League Fixtures
Week 24: Dynamos v Shabanie Mine, Highlanders v ZPC Kariba, Black Rhinos v Caps United, Bantu Rovers v Hwange
Week 25: Caps United v Highlanders, Buffaloes v Dynamos, ZPC Kariba v Triangle United, Hwange v How Mine
Week 26: Dynamos v Chapungu, Highlanders v Chicken Inn, FC Platinum v ZPC Kariba, Black Rhinos v Hwange, Triangle v Caps United
Week 27: Hwange v Highlanders, Caps United v FC Platinum, Harare City v Dynamos, ZPC Kariba v Buffaloes
Week 28: Highlanders v Chiredzi, Dynamos v Bantu Rovers, Harare City v ZPC Kariba, Buffaloes v Caps United, Triangle v Hwange
Week 29: Shabanie Mine v Highlanders, Hwange v FC Platinum, Caps United v Harare City, ZPC Kariba v Dynamos
Week 30: Dynamos v How Mine, Buffaloes v Hwange, ZPC Kariba v Caps United, Highlanders v Chapungu
Weekend Premier League Results
Saturday: Chicken Inn 2-1 Bantu Rovers, FC Platinum 0-0 Dynamos, Harare City 1-0 Highlanders, Chiredzi 1-0 Shabanie Mine, ZPC Kariba 2-1 Black Rhinos
Sunday: Caps United 0-0 How Mine, Buffaloes 1-0 Triangle United, Hwange 4-1 Chapungu

Standings
P W D L F A GD Pts
Dynamos 23 12 7 4 23 12 11 43
ZPC Kariba 23 10 11 2 28 15 13 41
Highlanders 23 10 9 4 31 15 16 39
Caps United 23 11 6 6 26 21 5 39
Hwange 23 10 7 6 32 21 11 37
Chicken Inn 23 9 6 8 24 22 2 33
Buffaloes 23 9 6 8 25 30 -5 33
FC Platinum 23 7 11 5 22 18 6 32
Harare City 23 9 4 10 27 27 0 31
Chapungu 23 7 8 8 23 23 0 29
How Mine 23 7 7 9 24 28 -4 28
Triangle 23 7 6 10 29 33 -4 27
Black Rhinos 23 7 6 10 16 23 -7 27
Shabanie Mine 23 6 8 9 24 31 -7 26
Bantu Rovers 23 4 5 14 22 36 -14 17
Chiredzi FC 23 3 5 15 14 35 -21 14