Former Greenfuel player Tendai ‘DJ Malaika’ Nyamadzawo has come to the defence of Lloyd Mutasa, saying the club’s executive never liked the coach and was just waiting for him to make a mistake.
Mutasa guided the Chisumbanje-based side to the Premier League League (PSL) after an impressive season in the Eastern Region Division One, in which they never lost a game.
But two games into GreenFuel’s maiden season in the PSL, the club’s leadership shocked the football fraternity by reassigning Mutasa to the role Technical Advisor and appointed Bhekitemba Ndlovu as head coach.
The duo was then sacked yesterday after the 2-3 defeat to Ngezi Platinum and replaced by Rodwell Dhlakama.
Nyamadzawo, who was part of the GreenFuel side which won promotion last year, revealed that the club’s leadership never liked Mutasa or appreciated his efforts and even questioned his ability to coach in the PSL.
“What happend to Lloyd Mutasa is not fair at all, particularly for a coach of his calibre,” Nyamadzawo told Soccer24.
“Even when he (Mutasa) was still with the team in Division One, you could see that not everyone in the club’s executive was not supportive of him.
“I was not even surprised to hear of the way he was treated in the Premier Soccer League, because even before the season started, they doubted his ability to coach in the league, which is shocking considering Mutasa’s legendary status in Zimbabwean football.
“I knew things would get to this point, because even when he was still in Division One, they didn’t show him love. They just couldn’t sack him because he won the Eastern Region Division One without tasting defeat,” added Nyamadzawo.
The former CAPS United striker believes the GreenFuel executive reassigning Mutasa to the role of Technical Director after the 0-1 loss to Yadah was the entry point to getting rid of the former Warriors assistant coach.
“That was obviously a way of chasing him away, it was very obvious,” he said.
Nyamadzawo insists the GreenFuel executive didn’t treat Mutasa well and ‘its not good for football.’
“It’s not a good thing to run football like that, Mutasa is a legend in Zimbabwean football and deserves respect because now the picture the GreenFuel executive is trying to potray is that of him (Mutasa) not being good enough to coach in the PSL, which we all know is not true,” said Nyamadzawo.
“Mutasa can coach any team in the PSL, the only problem is that there were people in the executive who just didn’t like him and were always fighting him, and waiting for him to make a mistake.”
Nyamadzawo believes Mutasa should have been given more time in the GreenFuel dugout, as head coach.
“Look, Premier Soccer League football is obviously not easy. Look at the way Simba Bhora started their debut season despite all those resources and a good coach. They (Simba) intially struggled nonetheless,” Nyamadzawo said.
“The Simba Bhora leadership gave their coach (Tonderai Ndiraya) time to fix the problem and the team is getting results now, and that is the exact same thing the GreenFuel executive ought to have done.
What the GreenFuel executive did, judging a coach by just one game, is not right at all,” added Nyamadzawo.