I came here to win, says new DeMbare coach

By Eddie Chikamhi

HARARE – New Dynamos coach Paulo Jorge Silva opened up for the first time yesterday, declaring that he has come to Zimbabwe not only to re-establish DeMbare’s dominance on the domestic league, but to get the Harare giants back on the grand stage of the Champions League.

The Portuguese mentor exuded confidence when he addressed the media yesterday flanked by his assistant Lloyd Mutasa and team manager Richard Chihoro.

Silva revealed he was hired by Dynamos on a special mission to turn around the fortunes of the club following a poor season last year when DeMbare finished empty-handed.

The coach yesterday had the audacity to crown the Harare giants champions of the domestic Premiership this year even before a ball has been kicked.

“I came here to win. We have got to fight and win every game, fighting from the first minute until the end for the three points, and we must win,” he said.

“This is what the president wants and this is what the fans want and because of that I am here.

“I can tell you I am not here for the money, I was earning 10 times more in Germany where I was before. I am here because the day I talked to the president (Kenny Mubaiwa) he asked me if I can fight for the championship and I said yes.

“So I came and talked with the president and Mr Webster (Chikengezha). Everyone had the same vision and I signed the contract a few days later. I want to be champion here (for) two years and then try to be champion in the Champions League.

“Dynamos is a very big club.

“For me, I don’t care what people say but I have to prove on the pitch. On the pitch I prove, I win. If I lose, although I don’t believe in losing, it’s my responsibility and not the players. Everything is on me, it’s me the boss, it’s me who decides, so don’t press my boys.”

Silva arrived in the country last week but only started his official duties on Monday after securing his work permit. The expatriate coach said he is happy with the squad at his disposal and reiterated his plans to bring in at least two foreign strikers preferably from Portugal to beef up his arsenal.

The DeMbare technical team is currently working with a squad of 29 players, including the four who were on national duty at the Africa Nations Championships.

Having coached in Portugal where he began his coaching career and then had stints at different capacities in Germany, Austria, Albania, Costa Rica, Dubai, Nicaragua and Nigeria, Silva said he was hoping for success in Zimbabwe.

Silva has worked with such established clubs as VfB Stuttgart, Greuther Furth, Nuremberg, Aalen in Germany, Sporting Lisbon in Portugal, Al Wasl and Sharjah FC in the United Arab Emirates.

“Football in every country is the same but you have to adapt because I can give you an example. Here we have one pitch but in Germany I had 11. In Dubai I had 25 pitches but here I have only five balls.

“What I see in Zimbabwe is that we don’t have strong junior leagues but there is talent here.

“Zimbabwean players can play anywhere (in the world) but we need to change the chip in the head, the mentality of the country. Football out there is very serious business. It starts being serious from young ages,” he said.

Silva also said he has been following the CHAN tournament and believes the Warriors were unlucky to be bundled out at the first hurdle.

He said Zimbabwe played good football but they could not score goals.

“It’s easy to talk when things are not good. Zimbabwe managing only one goal and one point, it’s very easy to sit here and talk bad about the team but the truth is we need to strike the balance.

“He (Callisto Pasuwa) gave 100 percent, he tried to make the best out of the team. I wish good luck to the coach because it’s not an easy job. Sometimes in football you need a little bit of luck. The team got a lot of opportunities, but they could not score.

“One of my players Rodreck (Mutuma) had two or three opportunities in the second game and if he had scored everyone would be saying Callisto (Pasuwa) is the best of them all.

“But he did not score and now people are saying the coach is not good. I think the coach is good because the last five years he won the league four times. It’s not easy winning the league, with 15-16 teams fighting for the title,” said Silva. The Herald