Yasin Osman going nowhere, insist Wanderers

Be Forward Wanderers general secretary Mike Butao has rubbished rumours that they are set to part ways with head coach Yasin Osman.

Social media has since last week been awash with rumours that the vastly experienced gaffer, who last season brought Super League glory back to Lali Lubani after 10 years of fruitless hunting, will not have his expired contract renewed to pave way for the return of Zimbabwean Rahman Gumbo, who held the position over 10 years ago.

But Butao has strongly trashed those reports as fake news which will not distract the club in any way.

“There is a trend involving a group of people that is churning out false stories, but this will not distract us from running the club,” said Butao.

“This is not the first time such rumours have gone viral, remember last month such rumours were rife, with another Zimbabwean Calisto Pasuwa named as the potential successor, but that never came to pass,” he said

Butao further explained that discussions are underway to renew the contracts for all members of the technical panel whose yearlong deals all run out at the end of the 2017 soccer season.

Osman who led the team into the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Champions League this month, missed last week’s 1-2 second leg reverse to their eventual conquerors AS Vita from DRC due to illness.

“Perhaps these rumours are being fuelled by his absence on that day, but that was well explained as the coach had been ill. By the time the team regroups on 6 March, all members of the technical panel will be available for duty,” said Butao.

The Wanderers general secretary then denied reports that the club contacted with Gumbo.

“I didn’t even know of Gumbo, I only knew that Pasuwa was available the time those rumours came out. So being head of the Wanderers technical, all this is news to me,” concluded Butao.

The Nomads are currently on a break after crashing out of the CAF Champions league following a humiliating 6-1 aggregate loss at the hands of the Congolese side.