Malajila clearance arrives as Mutasa cries foul

By Augustine Hwata

THE long-awaited International Transfer Certificate for veteran striker Cuthbert Malajila finally arrived yesterday – just a few days after Lloyd Mutasa was fired as coach at the Harare giants Dynamos.

Mutasa made a move for Malajila after the player fled Libya in May this year but DeMbare were unable to use him as the issue of the ITC remained hanging.

Interestingly, Malajila left Dynamos in August last year when he signed for Tunisian side Club Africain but the club then loaned him to Libyan side Al Akhdar.

Malajila failed to see out his six-month contract as civil unrest forced the former Chapungu player to return home where he had been training with Dynamos. Dynamos, who are desperate for a trusted gunslinger, recruited Malajila on a one-and-half year contract. Nyika Chifamba, the Dynamos secretary-general, said the arrival of the clearance certificate was a big boost ahead of their game against Shooting Stars at Rufaro on Sunday.

“It’s good that the clearance is finally here. It just came today and we are sure it will improve the selection options for the coaches,” said Chifamba. Majalila’s clearance comes as huge boost to newly appointed coach Callisto Pasuwa and his technical team. But this will come as a bitter pill for Mutasa who told H-Metro that he suspected the executive at Dynamos were deliberately sitting on Malajila’s clearance in a bid to frustrate the coach.

Last week, Mutasa had included Malajila in the squad to face Black Mambas but could not use the striker after the clearance failed to arrive. Malajila had to sit in the terraces. Mutasa said the executive told him there were problems with the “signatures”. “I will not be surprised if Malajila is to start playing this Sunday because we could just not understand the delays in getting his deal finalised yet we were clear on our targets,” he wrote in his exclusive weekly H-Metro column.

“We made it very clear at the opening of the transfer window in July that we needed Malajila and Peter Ngwenya to strengthen our strike force but until we left they had not been cleared. We are forced to question the sincerity of the executive on the issue and it’s easy to suspect they knew that we could win matches once those two strikers started playing yet they wanted us fired.”

Chifamba said it was just a coincidence that that Malajila’s clearance came when Mutasa had been shown the exit door. “We had the clearance for Ngwenya all along but he could not play as he had to sort out some things in Namibia. But the coming of Malajila’s clearance is a huge boost although we have to point out that he is not the only striker in the team,” said Chifamba.

Malajila’s agent Gibson Mahachi virtually cleared the Dynamos leadership of conspiracy when he revealed that they had been pushing very hard to get the clearance. “We have been pushing through Zifa for the past week. Almost every day we were communicating with North Africa but it just happened that the clearance came today (yesterday),” said Mahachi.

Chifamba also said they would have wanted to play Shooting Stars at their adopted home ground in Sakubva but the Wild Boys opted for Rufaro. “Dynamos are a big club who command a big following in the country and we had wanted to play before our Mutare fans. But we are not the home team. Anyway, this will also help us to cut on travelling costs,” said Chifamba.

Malajila first joined Dynamos in 2009 where he formed a deadly partnership with Chapungu teammate Phillip Marufu. He soon established himself as a trusted gunslinger and won calls to the Warriors’ camp. Meanwhile the Castle Lager Premiership tie between CAPS United and Kiglon has been moved to Gwanzura tomorrow. CAPS United chief executive Maxwell Mironga confirmed the changes.