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Akbay with Gumede at BF

Sikhumbuzo Moyo, Senior Sports Reporter
TWO more unnamed foreign coaches have joined the list of coaches that have shown interest in the post of head coach at Highlanders.

This brings to 11 the number of foreigners that have shown an interest in leading the technical bench at Bosso.

Three Dutch coaches, Clemens Westerhof, Erol Akbay and Hendrik Pieter de Jong, Britons Mark Harrison and Desmond Bulpin, Zambian Dean Mwende, Ethiopian Anteneh Eshete, Malawian Kinnah Phiri and American Jeff Cook all submitted their CVs to Highlanders.

Akbay even jetted into the country last week for what Bosso said were interviews, and he even took charge of the club’s Under-19 training session and also watched the first team labouring to a 1-0 win over Buffaloes in a Castle Lager Premier Soccer League match last Sunday.
Akbay has since returned to Holland.

Six local coaches have also submitted their CVs for the post of assistant coach.

Highlanders’ chief executive officer Ndumiso Gumede said: “We thought we were done receiving applications but we have just received two applications from very good coaches. I also want to correct some reports that no local coach has shown interest to join us. The fact is that six locals have applied, but they all want to be assistants.”

He, however, declined to divulge the identities of the local and foreign coaches, but highlighted that all locals are actually head coaches at their present clubs.

“I can’t tell you their names because they’re head coaches at their clubs, bayaxotshwa imisebenzi,” said Gumede.

He said it was also of importance for people to know that the club would always provide an assistant to whoever will be employed as head coach as they regarded it as an investment.

“We can’t allow a foreign coach to bring his own assistant. What will the club benefit after their contracts expire and they all go back to their country? To us, it’s an investment to have a foreign coach and hence we must provide him with an assistant; a local coach and possibly olegazi leHighlanders,” he said.