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Innocent Kurira, Sports Reporater 

HIGHLANDERS FC coach, Mandla Mpofu, says the situation with troubled but talented midfielder Denzel Khumalo has now gone out of hand and the player is in urgent need of help. 

Khumalo was briefly detained last weekend at the Bulawayo Central Police Station for allegedly teaming up with a colleague to axe a BMW vehicle and slash its tyres outside a city nightspot.

The 21-year-old Khumalo, who was in the company of teammate Brian Banda and unnamed friends, allegedly slashed two tyres of the car belonging to a Highlanders supporter identified as Sidumisile Ntini.

The incident came a month after he had an altercation with the team’s welfare manager, Vezigama Dlodlo, after being fined for turning up for training in a different uniform. 

Khumalo was also involved in a car accident last month, with allegations that he ran away from the scene.

He went AWOL from Highlanders camp in June for more than three weeks, with some saying he was trying to force a move out of the club.

After the departure of Madinda Ndlovu, Mpofu drafted him back into the first team but the midfielder has failed to repay the manager’s trust.

“It’s a very big concern; l spoke to the boy yesterday. The situation is getting out of hand, he needs to change. Whether he changes here at Highlanders or somewhere else he really needs to change. At 21 he is mature enough to get better in terms of his lifestyle.

“We can’t control things that happen when we are asleep but l believe the boy needs help at the end of the day. As the coach l will try to speed up the process of investigation into the issue of the altercation with the manager because it has taken long. At the moment he is a Highlanders player and training with the rest of the squad but, of course, we need to know the decision of the disciplinary committee so that we know the way forward. He is good player but outside issues have affected him,” Mpofu said.

Highlanders communications officer, Ronald Moyo, said: “Regarding the clash with the manager, the internal processes are taking place and we have a disciplinary committee that is looking into the issue. 

“It’s unfortunate that as the internal processes are going on we are hearing of other issues concerning the player.”

He said the club would not be adding the beer brawl to the ongoing investigations as the club has no control of what happens after hours. – @innocentskizoe