Outspoken Njube Sundowns team manager Admore Chivero took time last week to speak to The Zimbabwean on Sundays Grace Chirumanzu about his teams rather indifferent start to the season, the tough job running a soccer club in Zimbabwe and other related issues. Excerpts: (Pictured: Admore Chivero)
Grace Chirumanzu (GC): Your change of home grounds from Gwandas Pelandaba stadium to Hartsfield in Bulawayo was really like deserting your supporters. What was the motive to make the switch?
Admore Chivero (AC): In Gwanda we had more of sympathisers not supporters. They are people with their own teams that they support and they only sympathised with us because we brought football to their doorstep. Otherwise, as a team based in Bulawayo, we had more of our supporters travelling to Gwanda and with the difficult economic situation we began to lose some of them, so we decided to return.
GC: Last year Sundowns finished among the top three clubs, produced the coach of the year, soccer star and top goal scorer of the year but you are currently stuck in the bottom half of the log. Why are things this way?
AC: It is because of the economic hardships. It is quite a challenge playing football from our region, there are not many teams playing in the premiership and there is no way we play in Bulawayo for two weeks. We are always traveling (and incurring huge costs). We have had to sell one of our assets (to raise money) to pay outstanding salaries to our players. They are playing brilliant football we have just not been scoring and winning as much as we need to.
GC: Evans Chikwaikwai won the Golden Boot award last year and was key to your teams impressive run, but he has since moved to South Africa. Do you think his absence has dented the teams ability to score goals?
AC: Yes, I will agree that we made a mistake of relying so much on Evans when he was around and failed to nurture other strikers for the future. We have played so well consistently this year, but we do not have a regular goal scorer. But I believe we have just found someone who can replace him and start scoring goals for us.
GC: Most teams you played against in Gwanda complained about biased officiating in favour of your team. Any comments?
AD: We have games that we lost at Pelandaba such as the one against Kiglon and Dynamos, we did not always win there.
FACTfile
Full names : Admore Pikisai Chivero
D.O.B :28/ 09/ 1973
P.O.B : Chegutu
Nickname : Sekuru Piki
Position : Team Manager
Former Teams : Zimbabwe Under 20
Current team : Njube Sundowns