SOCCER REVIEW with STEPHEN PHIRI
THE axe has fallen on Napsa Stars coach Hector Chilombo, a hitherto hero, barely six weeks into the 2015 season.
The aristocrats at Napsa struck in their usual style, disguising the firing with the familiar “sent on leave” story. These are the same people who told us that Peter Kaumba had been sent on leave in 2012 and repeated the story when they got rid of Patrick Phiri a year later.
These coaches have never come back from leave. As far as the Napsa executive is concerned, leave is synonymous with sacking.
Let me state from the onset that I have no direct interest in the sacking of Chilombo and his assistants Evans Sakala and Samuel Banda, rather my concern generally is the ill-treatment of coaches.
Seated in their offices, the Napsa executive thought it wise to get rid of the man who gallantly fought for the Super Division title last season. What broke the camel’s back was last Saturday’s 0-4 loss to Zanaco.
Granted, no coach is employed to lose but the employers must always put things in place if they want their team to excel.
Let’s take Bayern Munich, Chelsea, Real Madrid and Manchester United, for instance; executives have put all prerequisites in place and a manager has no excuse to fail.
They have bought world-class players who are paid very well. One player’s weekly salary at Chelsea is more than Napsa Stars’annual budget! When a coach fails at these clubs, they get fired and it is justifiable.
Let’s get back to Napsa: What investment have they put into the team? What’s the quality of players they have bought and how do they motivate the same players?
For all I know, Napsa invested in players whose performance was over the hill. I will not mention some of these players but some were in the national team almost15 years ago. Such players have a pitch-pan; they cannot get you results for more than two seasons.
Napsa were warned against making the team a rehabilitation centre but they insisted, bringing one tired legs after another. The result is what the team is going through.
It has nothing to do with the coaches and I wonder why executives cannot see this. In any case, any team goes through such phases and some come out stronger and even challenge for the title.
Manchester United and Liverpool supporters can bear me witness. These two teams struggled at the beginning of this season but they are up there now. Did they fire managers Louis van Gaal and Brendan Rodgers?
The bottom line is that administrators should not rush into firing coaches without analysing the situation.
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Zambia yesterday commemorated the 22nd anniversary of the Gabon air crash, which claimed the lives of 18 talented players.
Efford Chabala, John Soko, Whiteson Changwe, Robert Watiyakeni, Eston Mulenga, Derby Makinka, Moses Chikwalakwala, Godfrey Kangwa, Kelvin Mutale, Wisdom Chansa and Timothy Mwitwa died on a mission to bring honour and glory to Zambia.
Others were Richard Mwanza, Winter Mumba, Samuel Chomba, Moses Masuwa, Patrick Banda, Kenani Simambe and Numba Mwila.
Current players should emulate the patriotism the fallen heroes had.
The heroes ran their race and it is now up to this generation of players to take Zambia to the World Cup.
sphiri@daily-mail.co.zm, phiristeve4@gmail.com