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Roderick Mutuma

Sikhumbuzo Moyo, Senior Sports Reporter
CONTROVERSIAL but talented striker Roderick Mutuma has set his sights on joining Bulawayo giants Highlanders during the second transfer window in July.

He confirmed the possible move yesterday. Mutuma quit Caps United on Tuesday and is believed to have been given a free transfer yesterday.

Nicknamed “The Prince,” Mutuma told a local daily that he quit Caps United because of what he termed “bad treatment”.

He said it was better for him to wait until the next window period and look for a new team. He told of the suffering that Caps United players are going through with club bosses seemingly unconcerned.

Yesterday he told Chronicle Sport that he was ready to don the black and white jersey and move on with his career.

“If everything goes well I’ll definitely be coming to Bulawayo to join Highlanders. I’ve since stopped training with Caps United.

“I’m training at some academy owned by my old man because I just can’t continue at Caps United. I survive on football,” said Mutuma.
He said he will soon be talking to the Highlanders technical team so that he could start training with them even before the second window opens “so that I get to appreciate their philosophy, culture and ideology.”

The former Quelaton and DeMbare forward has previously expressed his desire to play for Highlanders and told this publication after the Bob91 elimination match that Bosso had twice rejected his bid to join them.

“It’s the second time that they’ve snubbed me, the first was when I was still with Quelaton. I won’t lose my desire to play for Highlanders because it’s every player’s dream to call Barbourfields Stadium his home ground,” Mutuma told Chronicle Sport then.

Last week Highlanders assistant coach Mandla Mpofu said the club needed a natural leader in the mould of Mutuma.

“Not to say Felix Chindungwe is not a good leader, but what you need is someone of Roderick Mutuma’s character, able to motivate his teammates as well as supporters.

“Mutuma isn’t a captain but can inspire his teammates,” Mpofu said during the club’s weekly Thursday press conference.

If Mutuma eventually joins Highlanders, he will become the second player ever to have played for the country’s Big Three, Highlanders, Caps United and Dynamos, after the 1996 Footballer of the Year, Stewart Murisa.