Akbay back. . . focused on Shabanie Mine
By Allen Khumalo
Highlanders coach Erol Akbay is back at work following a stay away that saw him skipping some training sessions this week in protest over the club’s failure to honour its contractual obligations.
Akbay missed two training sessions and assistant coach Amini Soma-Phiri took control of the squad with the assistance of Under-19 coach Melusi ‘Mabaleka’ Sibanda.
Akbay told journalists at the club’s weekly press briefing yesterday that he had reached an agreement with the club and was now focusing on Sunday’s Castle Lager Premier Soccer League (PSL) encounter against newly promoted Shabanie Mine at Barbourfields Stadium.
“It’s just that sometimes you have to fight to get what you want or what has been agreed upon,” said Akbay.
“I’m happy now, we just had a little bit of financial problems, but we have talked with the club treasurer and have agreed on some things. The problem has since been resolved so we have to move on and focus on what we have to do; and that’s winning Sunday’s match. I think that is now more important than all the things that happened in the past few days. I was not on strike as such, but we had a fight that has now been resolved,” Akbay said.
Bosso have acknowledged owing the coach part of his signing on fees of $10 000, although the club is adamant it has paid the bulk of that money.
Highlanders’ secretary-general Emmett Ndlovu said: “There were minor technicalities and those have been resolved. They are so small to an extent that they really don’t need to be in the papers.”
Akbay said after missing two training sessions, the club was not affected in any way, as the players know what is expected of them.
“I am not a new coach here and everybody knows what I want and what I expect from them, so that (his absence) has not affected our preparations for the match against Shabanie Mine. I don’t know anything about them, but I know they drew with Caps United, which means they are a strong team and we have to take them very seriously,” Akbay said. The Chronicle
