Zapata hangs in limbo

 

There seems to be more to Rodolfo Zapata’s Township Rollers appointment as new coach than meets the eye. The uncertainty of when the newly appointed coach will finally take over the reins at Mapalastina is dragging longer than anticipated.

Zapata was announced as Rollers coach two months back but his permit is said to be pending up to now. He was roped in at Rollers following the abrupt departure of coach Nikola Kavazovic from the club. The Rollers management is adamant that the only thing delaying is Zapata’s work permit from the Department of Immigration, however issues surrounding Zapata’s appointment have been sketchy, with the team careful enough not to reveal much.

However, an insider at Rollers has informed BG Sport that the contract signed by Zapata and Rollers is for a short period of time, perhaps less than a year. Now with things still stuck in limbo, there is no telling what might happen, an extension, possibly? A few weeks after Zapata was announced as the new Rollers coach, allegations surfaced that Zapata’s former team, Gaborone United prior to leaving for Kenya, was determined to make life difficult for the Argentine’s stay at Rollers.

Nevertheless, GU Chairman Boitumelo Nsunge has since laughed off the matter saying they want nothing to do with Zapata and Rollers officials should find better ways of handling their matters and not drag their name in the mud. Contrary to Nsunge’s claims, this publication is reliably informed by a source at Rollers that the team has recently written a letter to GU. Allegations are that GU management is said to be still holding tight to Zapata’s working permit that was bound to expire next year. Perhaps that is one of the reasons that even the Immigration office is finding it hard to issue another permit to Zapata as his GU permit is still active.

It is not clear how the whole saga will end however Rollers General Manager Sydney Magagane is said to be busy at work, regarding the contract that Zapata had with GU. Magagane, a man well- known to be the master mind when it comes to play rules and regulations might just be Rollers’s ticket out of the current mess.

“There is no other reason (for the delay) than waiting for the Immigration to complete its work; GU has never made contact with us,” Rollers Spokesperson Bafana Pheto said this week. When reached, Zapata also said that he was waiting for his permit and refused to comment further on the matter, saying he was in no position to divulge any information at the moment. It remains to be seen how all will pan out, but GU is still owing Zapata over P300 000, and that could be one of the reasons that saw him abandon the team in the first place.