From Simba, Scottland glory to Chicken Inn pain: The quiet unraveling of Tonderai Ndiraya

In the last two PSL seasons, former Dynamos coach Tonderai Ndiraya’s name echoed around Zimbabwean football like a drumbeat.

In 2024, he did the impossible with Simba Bhora FC, helping them win their first ever PSL title. One year later, he did it again with Scottland FC.

Back-to-back championships, and he also turned Tymon Machope into a top striker with 27 goals across two seasons.

Early this year, Scottland let Ndiraya go to pave the way for Norman Mapeza, as Ndiraya took the job at Chicken Inn FC.

But life at Chicken Inn has been cruel. The Ndiraya fans knew for building winners, has been a pale shadow of himself.

This season has been a story of almosts and heartbreaks. They were booted out of the Munhumutapa Challenge Cup by Ngezi Platinum on penalties.

On Saturday, they were dumped out of the Chibuku Super Cup by Highlanders FC on penalties.

In the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League it hasn’t been any better.

As it stands, Chicken Inn  FC sit in 10th position with 33 points. Simply put, their numbers are telling, with nine wins, six draws, 10 losses.

WILL NDIRAYA PASS THE BOSSO TEST IN THEIR SECOND MEETING IN LESS THAN A WEEK?

The losses outweigh their wins, a sign that consistency has been lacking. For Ndiraya, the swagger from the Simba Bhora and Scottland FC days feels like a different lifetime.

However, Ndiraya has a chance to turn back the hands of time on Wednesday when they face Highlanders for the second time in a week in a rescheduled Matchday 25 fixture.

Bosso have been reeling under financial distress for the better part of the season, but they still found a way to knock Chicken Inn out of the Chibuku on penalties. It remains to be seen how they will fare at the same venue, Barbourfields stadium.

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