Soma-Phiri set to make history
By Sikhumbuzo Moyo
Tomorrow Highlanders FC go into battle against city rivals Chicken Inn in the NetOne-funded Easycall Cup final set for Barbourfields Stadium with interim coach Amin Soma-Phiri in line to carve his own piece of history as a coach.
Underrated by many, Phiri has slowly but surely reconstructed Highlanders into a force to be reckoned with in the football world.
Bosso are once again a team worth watching and are rightfully sending shivers down the spines of any opposition, something totally unheard of before the arrival of what can now be surely termed a “Messiah” in Phiri. Yes, he lost some games, especially in the first few weeks of his reign but still then, the Highlanders play was beginning to take shape.
Tomorrow, Phiri gets the perfect opportunity to sign off from the Highlanders dressing room in style. It’s an opportunity for him to once and for all prove to those who doubted his coaching capabilities that he is indeed the man.
It’s a chance for him to show Highlanders fans that he has what it takes to lead this revered institution. That road to being loved by the hard to please Highlanders supporters began last Sunday when he dumped Dynamos out of the Easycall Cup to set up a date with Chicken Inn.
One fan was heard saying on Sunday night that to him, Phiri has won the cup because of that victory over Dynamos. The chap even said he could now go back to his rural home to enjoy the Christmas holidays without even bothering to attend the final.
“Eyami ifinal idlulile,” the fella said while we were having a drink at a popular drinking spot in Bulawayo on Sunday night. So it’s clear that another win for Amini will surely see him graduating as an “acceptable” coach for Highlanders and this I say without any fear or favour. The win over Chicken Inn will not be an ordinary one as well.
The GameCocks are the kings of Zimbabwean football and beating a king is really worth another cherry. Yes, the club has identified a foreign coach but decisions can always be reversed.
In the event that the executive sticks by its decision then surely Phiri must also be part of the equation here. I am sure he too would like to learn one or two things from the new man. The Chronicle
