Bosso can’t hide behind a finger

By Bothwell Mahlengwe

I had taken a sabbatical to attend to other issues that required my attention, but thank God, I’m back and, by the way, what the hell is happening at Highlanders?

What’s worrying is not that Bosso are not winning games, but the refusal of their folk to accept reality, introspect, strategise and take action.

This is a club that is broke, whose support base is dwindling, hasn’t won the league title in more than a decade and has a lot of average players. And they are no longer every boy’s dream club in the southern half of the country.

Highlanders’ problems are in-house, but unfortunately, they have chosen to bury their heads in the sand and expect a miracle.

I am not privy to their books, but activity in the transfer market tell the story of a broke club. It has been long since Highlanders made a quality signing with most, if not all, of their signings being either rejects or spent forces.

That’s a clear sign of lack of financial muscle. For years they have been feeding off a helping hand from BancABC, an initiative started by Farai Munetsi during his time at Dynamos. That, just like DeMbare, they continue to be run on community club basis is just nonsense.

And, as Dynamos have also found out, Bosso aren’t the club every boy wants to play for. These days the highest bidder gets the best and competition is fierce in Bulawayo where there is Chicken Inn, How Mine and Bulawayo City.

Bantu Rovers even offer better chance for access to either the United States or Europe and that means they have become the choice of young players in Bulawayo than Bosso.

FC Platinum, by the way, aren’t far away either. And can someone tell me why Highlanders haven’t used their rich connections.

Peter Ndlovu has links with all the clubs he played for and, for goodness sake, he is at Mamelodi Sundowns, a club owned by a billionaire businessman.

This is a man who could open a number of doors for Bosso. Methembe Ndlovu is here and has created direct links in the United States and Europe for player deployment. His Bantu Rovers now act as an academy for foreign clubs and that has wooed many young boys to want to play for his club even for free.

This has literally destroyed Bosso’s once revered juniors’ system, but can someone tell me why the two parties can’t work together? And what about all these conspiracy theories that we hear coming from the Bosso leaders and their fans?

This isn’t about the oversized egos that we see in the leadership at Highlanders and Dynamos, but it’s about professionalism, the need to accept they are not doing the right thing and find solutions. Sort your house first, make that your top priority and everything will follow.

Your supporters deserve an organised, well run, successful and competent club. It used to be there and the nostalgia is killing them. We want our old Highlanders back, one that used to rule the league without all these conspiracy theories. And only the Bosso folks can make this club great again.

All this nonsense about bias against Bosso doesn’t exist because this is a game that has its rights and wrongs, mistakes and all. Failing to win the championship in more than a decade is not a conspiracy.

Beating Dynamos once in the league in that same period is not a conspiracy.

Dynamos shaming Highlanders at Barbourfields Stadium is not a conspiracy again. These are real and sad realities.

Some will ask who this guy who dare talk about our club like this. Well, my name is Bothwell Mahlengwe, a Zimbabwean, born in Midlands, grew up in Mashonaland, schooled in Masvingo, educated in Matabeleland and now resident in Harare. And my roots are in Manicaland.

The tribal lines were crossed, weakened, deleted and dissolved during my life journey and they are no longer an excuse. Come on Bosso! Singabi lobumbulu. Asinzeni okuhambayo.

Bothwell Mahlengwe is a banker and former Premiership footballer and can be contacted, for feedback on [email protected]/