Red hot Zimbabwe international striker Tino Kadewere has admitted his debut could not have gone any better after scoring an impressive four goals for French side Olympique Lyon during the club’s 12-0 win in a friendly match against Swiss side US Port-Valais.
The 24-year-old Warriors star was making his first appearance for Lyon since completing his move to the club from French Ligue 2 side Le Havre.
Kadewere recently finished as the top scorer in the French second tier division with an incredible 20 goals in 24 appearances and on Wednesday night he showed why Lyon spent so much money for his services with a devastating performance in which he produced four goals in the first half against the Swiss minnows.
The Zimbabwean combined brilliantly with former Manchester United winger Memphis Depay, who was also in scintillating form after bagging four goals on his return from a long term injury.
Kadewere said he was delighted to make a good start at Lyon, who play another friendly against fellow French topflight side Nice on Saturday as they prepare for their UEFA Champions League clash against Italian giants Juventus next month.
“It is a pleasure to score in my first match with Olympique Lyon. It was important, after three months off. But we should not stop there. We will have this match against Nice on Saturday which will be more intensive,” added the Zimbabwean star striker.
Lyon coach Rudi Garcia was also impressed by how Kadewere combined well with his teammates in his first match.
“I am satisfied with the seriousness of the players. They respected the opponent. We had to do our best. There is much satisfaction in the image of Tino Kadewere and the return to competition of Memphis and Jeff. They can be important assets. They did their utmost. They reassured us. There is no apprehension on their side. It is good progress for them,” said Garcia.
Kadewere scored the second goal for the club after former Manchester United striker, Memphis Depay who also scored a quadruple, had converted a penalty in the seventh minute.
The former Harare City player later scored the cub’s 5th, 6th and 7th goals. His goals came in the 14th, 22nd, 27th, 33rd.
Zimbabwe tennis star Benjamin Lock has criticised Tennis Zimbabwe for “abandoning” local players as they continue to feel the negative effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Expressing his disappointment with the Davis Cup World Group II tie against China, Lock revealed he was even more frustrated by lack of support from the local tennis governing body.
“Disappointed @DavisCup won’t happen this year. Even more disappointed at Tennis Zimbabwe for abandoning their athletes with no support & no opportunities for the last 3 months. Doesn’t have to be like this,” Lock revealed in a post on Twitter yesterday.
The 27-year-old Benjamin and his young brother Courtney, 23, have consistently lifted the country’s flag high on the international scene while also forming a formidable partnership for Zimbabwe in the Davis Cup competition.
The pair who were eager to represent the country in the Davis Cup will however have to wait a little longer before returning to action after Tennis Zimbabwe’s decision to postpone the tie against China.
The tie was set to be played on either Friday, 18 – Saturday, 19 September, or Saturday, 19 – Sunday, 20 September in Harare.
Professional tennis has been paralysed since March 12 due to the coronavirus pandemic with several international tournaments around the world being either postponed or cancelled until at least the end of July.
Benjamin believes the Davis Cup tie against China would have been an opportunity for local players to get some competitive action after a lengthy spell on the sidelines.
“I have been training every single day with my brother Courtney, since the postponement of the Tour in March, at private facilities.
“We are in the best physical shape of our lives and are playing some of our best tennis as well.
“We were very excited to play the tie and this tie is what has been motivating us during this lockdown,” Lock said.
The Davis Cup team member expressed concern over lack of communication and support during this difficult period.
“During this lockdown, I have not been contacted by the executive board despite my efforts to reach out to them,” he said.
“Other national associations around the world provided financial support for their players during this time, why should Zimbabwe be any different?” said Lock.
Premiership football giants Dynamos have grand plans to set up a foundation in honour of their former midfielder Biggie Zuze who died in Harare a fortnight ago.
The Glamour Boys want to carry on with the former midfielder’s legacy especially by helping aspiring talents make it to the top. Zuze supported grassroots football with the aid of his brother and another former Dynamos player Garikai in Bindura.
The foundation is also expected to benefit Zuze’s family especially in assisting complete the house that the former player was building in Harare’s Stoneridge suburb.
Zuze, who starred for Dynamos in the 1980s, was described by many people in his hometown as a football hero following the humble rise from the mining town of Bindura as a teenager to join the then mighty Glamour Boys outfit that had won three successive league titles at the dawn of Independence.
Dynamos then had many big names that helped them conquer the domestic football scene in their long journey to establish themselves as the country’s biggest and most successful football club.
“It’s something that is still in its infancy but there are plans to set up a Biggie Zuze Foundation in honour of the late Dynamos player,” said an insider.
“Zuze was someone passionate about football and he left behind plans to establish and support a vibrant football academy, he had plans to pay school fees for the underprivileged in his hometown and as you know he had a building project of his family house which was about to finish.
“There was a lot that Biggie was doing and that must not be allowed to die with him. There must be a means to perpetuate his legacy. His family must be involved in all the programmes done under his name and at the same time benefit from it,” said the same official. Zuze was working as one of the club’s assistant coaches at the time of his death. The Harare giants played a big part during the funeral. DeMbare board chairman Bernard Lusengo-Marriot also confirmed the plans to support Zuze’s legacy.
“The club would like to confirm plans to ensure that the legacy of our late former player and coach Biggie Zuze lives on for posterity. Biggie had big dreams for the club and we should support his endeavours to make the game grow.
“We would like to work on ensuring that the dream lives on in memory and honour of Nzou,” said Lusengo-Marriot.
The DeMbare supremo also praised his club for the way they responded to the bereavement. Lusengo-Marriot said he was blown over by the unity demonstrated by the local football community. He lavished praises on the current DeMbare executive led by Harare banker Isaiah Mupfurutsa whom he compared to the late former club chairman Morrison Sifelani.
“Finally, we have found a chairman who is following in the footsteps of Morrison Sifelani. Gone are the days when Dynamos properties were attached by the office of the sheriff because of debts.
“You will never hear of that again; these guys are doing things the right way. The unity and quietness we have experienced in the last two years is unprecedented. I think we are blessed to have such a leadership. Get it from me, our chairman is the biblical Isaiah and we believe in him,” said Lusengo-Marriot.
Current and former Dynamos players showed strong unity during Zuze’s funeral. He was laid to rest in Bindura at Chiwaridzo Cemetery in Bindura last week.
Former Dynamos captain Memory Mucherahowa, who was a teammate of Zuze, sent a moving eulogy in conversations with Herald Correspondent, Albert Marufu, in the UK at the weekend.
Biggie was a people’s person as shown by the response from Zimbabwe Legends and Friends (UK) and Dynamos legends the world over who managed to raise US$940 for his funeral.
“It is an understatement to say that news of his sudden death have shaken us as Dynamos family and I am still to come to terms with it. As Dynamos Old Boys Association (DOBA), we have a WhatsApp group which we use to check up on others and sadly, for the past few months Biggie had gone quiet and only a few weeks ago, we were joking with (former Dynamos team manager) Malcom Fourie that maybe we need to replace the handset the two of us bought him a few years ago. Biggie, just like Clayton Munemo, Angirayi Chapo and Moses Chunga who lived with us in Mufakose, was like a brother to me and helped me settle at Dynamos,” said Mucherahowa.
The UK-based former DeMbare midfield kingpin also said Zuze inspired a great many young players during his playing days. He has demonstrated this by working with the famous Dynamos “Kidznet” and also with junior academies like BN Academy.
“I remember when I got promoted to the senior team, and we were in the team bus travelling to my first training session with the senior team. I was sitting with Munemo and Biggie came and joined us.
“I was always following Clay (Munemo) those days, and, like a blood brother, he carried me on his shoulders. Biggie and David Mandigora told me what an offer it was to train with the senior team and they gave me words of advice.
“He taught me discipline. I could have been worse considering my background and where I had grown up. First training sessions with the senior team are always scary for any youngster and I was lucky to have people such as Biggie, Chunga, Mandigora and Munemo to handhold me.
“I immediately joined their group. I became part of the quartet that included Biggie, Clay and Allan Mapila. I was the youngest of the four so they would show me how it is done.
“The four of us used to work hard at training. At times coach Sunday (Chidzambwa) would halt the training sessions and ask everyone to observe the four of us. He would use us as the benchmark.
“Biggie used to joke that he taught me how to play football. In a way that was true. There is a certain skill of how to win a ball that I copied from him. I also copied his training methods and when I became one of the senior players, everyone wanted to train with me. Even when it came to buying clothes or furniture, it was Biggie who advised me. As a youngster, you do not have financial discipline and we often bought anything that comes along the way. Biggie would tell you not to waste money.
“Throughout my stay at Dynamos, I never saw Biggie quarrelling with anyone. He always enjoyed the banter,” said Mucherahowa.
Tennis Zimbabwe president Biggie Magarira has called upon stakeholders with incriminating evidence against the association’s manager Cliff Nhokwara to come forward.
This comes after a cross-section of development coaches as well as administrators are accusing Nhokwara of misappropriating funds and equipment donated under a three-year Junior Tennis Initiative ending this year.
Magarira came into office late last year replacing Martin Lock and he claims to have looked at the books which he is satisfied are in order. But following an avalanche of accusations against Nhokwara, Magarira says he is willing to receive incriminating information against him so his association can institute an investigation.
This is despite the fact that he has been added to a WhatsApp group of over 150 development coaches who have been leading the chorus for Nhokwara to be investigated.
“All I am saying is I am new in my position and if something has been happening, then we will have to sit down and analyse the information,” said Magarira.
“I only became Tennis Zimbabwe president in September last year and we are actually in the process of setting up our own structures.
“But the audit which was conducted by a top auditing firm didn’t find anything amiss.
“All I am saying is if there is anyone with concrete information and evidence which shows that Nhokwara has actually been misappropriating funds and abusing equipment, then they have to come forward so that we take appropriate action. Mind you, as I have already said, we are a new board and we would like to make sure everything is being done in a transparent manner.
“I cannot be seen rushing into concluding that someone has done wrong when there is no evidence.”
A cross-section of tennis stakeholders who spoke to The Herald pointed that Nhokwara was diverting part of the equipment from the International Tennis Federation to his tennis centre in Warren Park.
They allege that Nhokwara, who they say receives the equipment on behalf of TZ, has not been distributing the resources equally to the provinces.
They also feel that Nhokwara holds too much power at TZ “as he is the secretary, treasurer, national junior tennis initiative co-ordinator, general manager and manager . . . he is everything”.
However, Magarira said if there was something amiss, the ITF would have flagged TZ.
“The equipment comes to Zimbabwe under a three-year Junior Tennis Initiative campaign. This is the final year and the ITF have actually visited the country and were shown around. If there was something amiss, I think investigations would have been instituted against TZ including Nhokwara (Cliff). But, well if there is someone who does have information which can be used against him then we are saying they should come forward we are very much interested.”
Magarira said he decided to join the coaches’ WhatsApp group out of the need to brainstorm on forming structures for tennis development.
“Yes, I am in that group for coaches together with provincial leadership. Nothing like that has been raised. We have been discussing on how best we can develop the game in the country.”
Nhokwara said he was aware of the allegations and dared the accusers to come out in the open.
“Yes, I have heard about that but, for starters, there is no way I wouldn’t have been flagged when audits were conducted,” Nhokwara said.
“Look, TZ equipment does not come in an individual’s name.
“Cliff (Nhokwara) does not receive the association’s money.
“Unless, those who are accusing me are saying the whole system is rotten because I have no capacity as an individual to sign for TZ money. Those who are saying I have done wrong have to come forward with the finer details otherwise the allegations are silly.”
Nhokwara said some individuals may have been offended by the fact that the Sports Commission have made it mandatory for all those involved in the game to pay a US$15 when the game was allowed to resume following a three-month Covid-19 forced lull.
“I think some believe that it is me who is behind the US$15 fee introduced. Maybe there are some people with personal vendettas against me but look, all I am saying is they have to come with concrete evidence and I am willing to carry my cross if I am wrong.
“About 70-90 percent of the equipment which is donated by the ITF towards JTI goes to our main centre in Mutare and the rest is shared among other provinces.”
England-born Zimbabwean defender Jordan Zemura is set to continue his development at Bournemouth after being handed a new one-year contract by the English Premier League side.
The 20-year old left-back who was born in London to Zimbabwean parents has been a key member of Bournemouth’s under-21 side since joining the club from the English Championship side Charlton Athletic before the start of the season.
After impressing in his debut season Zemura, who last week trained with the Bournemouth first team ahead of their match against Manchester United, was one of the 15 academy players who were rewarded with one-year contract extensions.
Before the season was brought to a premature end due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Bournemouth’s under-21s had been enjoying a fruitful campaign, reaching the last 16 of the Premier League Cup and the semi-finals of the Central League Cup and the Hampshire Senior Cup.
Speaking after the club announced new contracts for a number of players coach Shaun Cooper believes every member of the Bournemouth under-21 squad has the potential to break into the first team at some stage of their career.
“We wouldn’t have taken any of them if we didn’t feel they had the opportunity to progress. But, of course, everybody’s development moves at a different speed,” Cooper said in an interview with the club’s official website afcb.co.uk.
“Some might be knocking on the door two or three years down the line and, for others, it might be sooner.
“We definitely think all of them have the ability and potential to put themselves up for consideration.
“First and foremost, our priority is to try to prepare players for this club and get them to suit the manager’s requirements.”
Several of Cooper’s squad are likely to be given valuable experience with loan clubs next season, with each player assessed individually.
“There is a lot to consider when we loan out a player,” said Cooper. “We need to ask what the player currently needs both physically and technically and we need to know they are ready for the level. We also have to weigh up which ones the manager will want in and around his squad regularly.
“Once our season gets going and we have had a chance to look at everybody when they come back, then we can start making those decisions. It’s different for every individual.
Although he is yet to make his debut in the Premier League, Zemura made his debut for the first team after rising from the bench in Bournemouth’s 3-0 win over Lyon in a pre-season match in August last year.
The London-born young star Zemura, who can play in midfield apart from being a left-back has already expressed his desire to represent Zimbabwe in international football.
He was called up to the Warriors squad for the 2021 AFCON qualifiers against Zambia and Botswana last November but an expired Zimbabwean passport prevented him from honouring the call-up but he was nevertheless delighted with the recognition.
“I am humbled and honoured to represent my country, I feel a sense of joy and determination to help my country succeed in everything I do,” Zemura said.
“What excites me is playing with the new generation of Zimbabwean footballers and the youth who are all across Europe but wouldn’t have thought about playing for Zimbabwe. The opportunity to spark a nation, put belief and hope in the young Zimbabweans who want to see their country at the World Cup, it excites me,” said Zemura, who last visited Zimbabwe in 2015.
Cestoball Association of Zimbabwe president, Amon Madzvamuse, says his association has made maximum use of the coronavirus-induced lockdown to revamp their grassroots development initiative.
Cestoball is a relatively new sport with its roots in Argentina and Zimbabwe has taken it with Madzvamuse, an expert in growing new sport codes having done so with handball, had been given the mandate to grow this code.
He was in India last year together with some members of his executive to gather technical know-how about the sport.
And upon their return, the crew officially launched the sport at Allan Wilson School with provisional national teams for both male and female immediately announced
The teams were scheduled to play against Argentina in the South American country this October. The prospects of flying to Argentina hangs in the balance with the current restrictions posed by the Covid-19 epidemic.
While the national team coaches are keeping on monitoring individualised programmes to their players in case the Argentina tour will go ahead, Madzvamuse and his executive have been working tirelessly in their bid to strategise on grassroots development.
“Of course the Covid-19 has brought untold suffering to the development of sport in general and of cestoball in particular but, we have decided to look at the positives,” said Madzvamuse.
“We are a new sport and the ideal scenario would have been for us to try and establish ourselves physically on the ground.
“It would have been good for us to send our national teams to India or any other cestoball powerhouse in the world to gauge our development.
“But, we cannot do that during a time like this. Covid-19 has hampered our development as a developing sport.
“However, we have not been that negative during this period. Instead we have taken full advantage of the lull in almost every activity to engage the provinces. As I speak, we already have 10 sound provincial structures we have established during this period.
“Look, as soon as the coronavirus threat eases, we will be moving around establishing the sport, making sure it is played at every school in the country. We have contacted Nash and Naph, the key figures in establishing the sport and we will further engage them after the COVID-19 pandemic eases.”
Madzvamuse said his executive is still engaging all the relevant authorities and after the introduction of the sport in schools. The association will ultimately consider establishing national leagues at junior and senior levels.
HAVING been involved in women’s football as a coach and witnessing some of the challenges female athletes face, including lack of support, former Mighty Warriors coach Shadreck Mlauzi believes there is more those in charge of sport can do to create a level playing field.
Although Zimbabwe’s women in sport have over the years proved themselves, producing results, sometimes under difficult circumstances, there is still need to create a supporting environment and structures that will complement their efforts.
Mlauzi was in charge of the Mighty Warriors when they made their maiden appearance at the Olympics in 2016 and led the team for the Africa Cup of Nations in the same year.
Retracing his footsteps on the time he spent with the team, the successes and obstacles, the former Mighty Warriors coach urged the Ministry of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation to champion issues to do with women in sport so that they also get the support and respect they deserve.
Mlauzi believes with Minister Kirsty Coventry, a former athlete herself, in charge of the ministry, things could change for the better if the ministry also pays attention to issues to do with equity and fairness in resource distribution.
“At the present moment we are blessed as a nation we have Kirsty Coventry, who now I believe should have looked into those issues by now.
“She came into office, there were a lot of issues that were raised during the period of her predecessor, naturally as you come on board these are the problematic issues that you must confront head-on as the incumbent Minister of Sport to really make sure that you address those grey areas that are there.
“So a lot really needs to be done to change that mentality but I think policies have to be crafted. The Minister of Sport, personally I would challenge her really to address this issue.
“They are blessed, they are fortunate they have the human resource that is quite capable of reviving the system and bringing back those glory days,” Mlauzi said.
The former Mighty Warriors coach lamented the state of the structures for women’s football due to lack of support, a scenario he said usually leaves the coaches in a tight spot when they are expected to produce results for international assignments without proper supporting systems in place.
“I honestly pity (Sithethelelwe Sibanda) Kwinji at this point in time because when there is an assignment she has to shoulder most of the responsibility, but the nation has done very little for her, there are no structures at all,” added Mlauzi.
Former Warriors defender, Onismor Bhasera, looks set to defy age by continuing his football career in the South Africa Premiership after he was offered a contract extension by SuperSport United.
Bhasera, who is 34 this year, will be with the Tshwane outfit until, at least, 2021.
According to reports from South Africa’s Soccer Laduma magazine, Bhasera is one of the players the club’s Zimbabwean coach, Kaitano Tembo, has decided to retain.
This follows his impressive showing in the left-back position for the team in the last three years.
SuperSport United yesterday confirmed the release of three players — Thabo Qalinge, Thakasani Mbanjwa and Thato Lesoma.
This followed the departure of forward Thabo Mnyamane last week.
Bhasera is one of the players who resumed training at the weekend after the club got the clearance from the South Africa Football Association to conduct training sessions. The sessions are being conducted under strict Covid-19 health and safety protocols.
The Zimbabwean has been the club’s main left-back this season and has, so far, chalked up over 100 games for the Tshwane side since he joined them in 2016.
Speaking to a South African publication recently, Bhasera attributed his longevity and consistency, to living a good life, where nutrition and exercising take precedence.
“I have always made sure I stay away from dirty lifestyle. Things like alcohol, nightclubs and smoking are dangerous and I have always avoided them.
“I have always taken care of my body. I am mindful of what I eat. I always eat healthy.
“My body is the one that puts food on the table for me, so it’s important that I respect it in return by staying fit,” he told the Sowetan.
Supersport are also home to Zimbabwean players — Evans Rusike, Kuda Mahachi and goalkeeper Washington Arubi.
The South African outfit are monitoring Highlanders forward Tinashe Makanda, whose contract with the Bulawayo giants, runs out at the end of the current window.
Officially, Makanda’s contract with Bosso expired on June 30 but, technically, he cannot move, without Bosso’s blessings, because of the FIFA and CAF guidelines.
These guidelines help clubs and players navigate the contractual pitfalls posed by the coronavirus lockdown.
The forward has also been linked with a move to Vietnam.
“SuperSport have indicated that they would want to have a look at the player as soon as the travel restrictions are lifted.
“As you know, his contract with Highlanders has come to an end and he definitely wants new challenges,” said a source.
Makanda has also attracted the interests of domestic Premiership champions FC Platinum.
SuperSport United will also give Chicken Inn midfielder, Valentine Kadonzvo, a trial once South African clubs are given the greenlight to bring in new foreign players.
The highly-rated midfielder was at the centre of a messy ownership wrangle between the Gamecocks and Dynamos last year.
Tennis Zimbabwe manager, Cliff Nhokwara, has been described as one of the best administrators in local sport whose reputation is being thrashed by forces opposed to his professionalism.
Questions over Nhokwara’s handling of International Tennis Federation funds and equipment for the Junior Tennis Initiative have been rubbished by those within the game as a deliberate attempt to tarnish the reputation of the administrator.
Actually, the support coming from ITF, for the Junior Tennis Initiative, has made a huge difference for many young and aspiring tennis players, as they are being given the platform to showcase their skills.
Some have actually realised their dreams through this programme, which has been running for years, and was previously known as the Schools Tennis Initiative.
The initiative, approved by the ITF, runs in Mutare where it focuses on the underprivileged young players, mainly drawn from schools in high density suburbs, targeting the 10-and-Under players and, to a certain extent, the 12-year-old and 14-year-olds as a follow-up programme.
The idea is to create opportunities for the young players into the sport.
Although most of the equipment goes to Mutare, where the Junior Tennis Initiative Centre is based, the remainder is also benefiting other provinces. They get part of the tennis balls for tournaments and part of the equipment is later distributed to coaches involved in development in the various provinces.
The initiative, according to officials and coaches who spoke to The Herald yesterday, has actually had positive impact on the development of sport in the country.
Zimbabwe had even been recommended to host players from Malawi, to participate in the local camps, before the coronavirus outbreak brought things to a halt.
The programme has become such a success story it is now a reference point for the region.
Nhokwara is part of the several administrators who have come on board, along the way, to provide effective leadership necessary to keep the initiative on course.
“He is just a victim of those trying to smear his name, people who are on a mission to try and discredit him,” sources said yesterday.
“He has done a lot for the development of tennis in the country but, you know, there will always be some people out there trying to reverse the gains.”
Tennis Zimbabwe executive member, Vincent Nyatoti, who is also the co-ordinator for the initiative in Mutare, said the programme creates opportunities for those who would possibly not have stood a chance, of playing tennis, because of lack of resources.
“If this development programme had not been started, those who were underprivileged, who could not afford, would not have been able to play tennis,” said Nyatoti.
“Like here, JTI covers, most of the time, for the 10-and-Under players, then 12s and 14s as a follow-up programme.
“The 10-and-Under is the development programme where we go to schools. Our target are those schools in marginalised areas, high density suburbs.
“It’s an introductory to tennis, we go to schools, as was agreed long back . . . We have plus or minus 10 schools, and we are talking about 2 000 kids we introduce to tennis.
“Most of the schools don’t have this equipment in terms of rackets and tennis balls, that’s the equipment we use,” said Nyatoti.
Reports that some development coaches have been questioning Nhokwara, including malicious allegations of misappropriation of funds and equipment, have been dismissed as unfounded.
Tennis Zimbabwe president, Biggie Magarira, on Sunday said the ITF would have raised the red flag if there were any concerns related to the distribution of the equipment.
“I cannot be seen rushing into concluding that someone has done (anything) wrong when there is no evidence,” said Magarira.
“The equipment comes to Zimbabwe under a three-year Junior Tennis Initiative campaign.
“This is the final year and the ITF have actually visited the country and were shown around.
“If there was something amiss, I think investigations would have been instituted against TZ, including Nhokwara.
“We have been discussing on how best we can develop the game in the country.”
Nhokwara believes those who are making malicious allegations against him might have thought he was behind the decision for a mandatory US$15 payment to help the game return following a three-month Covid-19 induced lockdown.
“I think some believe that is me who is behind the US$15 fee,” he said.
“Maybe, there are some people with personal vendettas against me.
“About 70-90 percent of the equipment, which is donated by the ITF towards JTI, goes to our main centre in Mutare and the rest is shared among other provinces.
“For starters, there is no way I wouldn’t have been flagged when audits were conducted.
“Look, TZ equipment does not come in an individual’s name.
“Cliff (Nhokwara) does not receive the association’s money.”
When Marvelous Nakamba joined Aston Villa in August, the Zimbabwean international midfielder was asked how he was feeling and his simple answer was bang on point.
“Marvellous,” said Nakamba with a smile that warmed hearts from Villa’s home city of Birmingham to Zimbabwe’s border town of Beitbridge.
Zimbabweans, millions of them disciples of the English Premiership, had waited for a long time to have one of their own sons doing business in the EPL.
There was Bruce Grobbelaar, Peter Ndlovu, Benjani Mwaruwari before.
And now there was Nakamba.
Suddenly, a team we cared very little about — minus those who are into sports betting — found itself into our hearts.
Watching Villa play became a must and, on the days the club included Nakamba on the man-of-the-match nominees the Zimbabwean Twitter brigade made it a no contest.
We all felt marvellous.
But 25 EPL appearances later, it’s fair to say Nakamba has not sparked a marvel at Villa.
However, very few people set the stage alight in their debut EPL seasons.
Bruno Fernandes is making it look easy at Manchester United but that’s him, a genius.
Nakamba has put in a shift each time he has taken to the park, running his socks off, and picking four yellow cards.
He cannot be blamed for not putting his shoulder to the wheel in a bid to breathe life into a club that often looks lifeless in colourful shirts.
Aston Villa’s claret jersey is full of life but that’s as far as it goes, watching them hurts.
With a Zimbabwean in the club’s dressing room, it’s easy to appreciate why Nakamba’s countrymen would like Dean Smith’s squad to avoid relegation this term.
Villa, with 27 points from 33 games, are staring relegation in the face and their Zimbabwean Warrior, with boyish looks, has lost his place in the starting XI.
It’s difficult to imagine this is the same Nakamba the Villa fans were singing about when he made his EPL debut in the goalless draw against West Ham on September 16 last year.
It’s often argued that one is as good as his last match.
And, if that is true, where does this leave Nakamba — an unused substitute in Aston Villa’s 0-2 defeat at champions Liverpool on Sunday?
Nakamba started the 0-1 defeat to Wolves, in the last match day, but could not make the starting XI at Anfield, a place where Villa needed to be the unmovable object that sought to stop an irresistible force.
Maybe, just maybe, the 26-year-old is at a place where he may be asking himself whether the decision to move from Belgium to England was the correct one.
After the defeat to Wolves, Nakamba was described by the Birmingham Mail, a publication that devotes pages to Villa news each day, as nervous.
“Nervous on his return to the XI. Loose in possession playing on the left-hand side of Villa’s midfield diamond. Recovered after a nasty head clash with Matt Doherty.
“Arguably at fault for Wolves’ crucial goal, allowing his man — Dendoncker — in to pick up the loose ball before the Belgian fired home,” charged Ashley Preece.
Patriotism would spur one into cursing at Preece but the football mind would counsel us into taking a deep breath and having another look at the game in question.
Indeed, our boy has moved from marvellous to nervous!
It’s now nine games without a win for Villa but Smith reckons his team is playing with the stuff Nakamba is lacking at the moment — confidence.
“We’ve been playing with confidence since the start of Project Restart. We haven’t got the points we would have liked but, to out-shoot the champions, was pleasing.
“There’s only been a few wins down the bottom six with Brighton beating Norwich. We deserve more points from the games we played. We have to keep believing,” said the Villa coach after the defeat to Liverpool on Sunday.
So what’s next for Nakamba, who is contracted to Villa, until June 2024?
Getting back into the starting XI is the immediate priority but a long term path has to be envisaged and worked towards.
Should he do a Musona — chicken out and find solace in a less demanding league?
Warriors’ skipper, Knowledge Musona, moved back to Kaizer Chiefs in 2013, on loan from German club Hoffeinheim, when the going got tough.
However, doing that would thrust Nakamba into some unfashionable company. It will see him go down in history as the guy who got there, couldn’t stand the heat and retreated into a shell.
On the other hand, taking it on the chin, and staying put, will give him a chance to prove to the world he is a real Warrior.
Moving to Villa was a dream come true for Nakamba but staying put is no longer the stuff of dreams.
It takes guts.
And the time has come for Nakamba to prove he has the talent that deserves to be showcased at a grand stage.
What if Villa fail to pull a Houdini Act and get chopped back into the Championship?
“If he has character; he should give it a go with Villa in the Championship — he’ll be better for the experience,” reckons sportscaster Mike Madoda.
True Warriors are judged, not buy the number of times they fall, but the times they get up and fight on.
And, in moving from Hwange to Birmingham, Nakamba fell countless times and, crucially, got up after each of those falls.
Zimbabwe national cricket team cricket all-rounder Sikandar Raza will have an opportunity to rub shoulders with some of the world’s leading cricketers after being signed up for the 2020 edition of the Caribbean Premier League T20.
The 33-year-old cricketer will be part of the Trinbago Knight Riders captained by West Indies star Kieron Pollard.
Caribbean Premier League T20 will be held behind closed doors between August 18 and September 10 in Trinidad and Tobago after getting the nod from the local government in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Raza said he was delighted to have an opportunity to feature in the star-studded tournament after the likes of Elton Chigumbura, Brendan Taylor and Graeme Cremer.
The tournament will feature six teams, defending champions Barbados Trident, Trinbago Knight Rider, St Kitts/Nevis Patriots, Guyana Amazon Warriors, Jamaica Tallawahs and St Lucia Zouks.
“It’s humbling to be part of such a great franchise Trinbago Knight Riders and looking forward to playing some cricket again in sha Allah,” Raza said.
Raza’s participation will however depend on getting clearance from Zimbabwe Cricket, who are also hoping to host Afghanistan for a T20 competition in August.
The Pakistan-born allrounder has become one of the most sought after Zimbabwean players when it comes to Twenty20 competitions around the world having already featured in the Bangladesh Premier League and the Pakistan Super League.
With Zimbabwean players struggling to make it into the IPL which pays fortunes, the Pakistan Super League, the Bangladesh Premier League and the Caribbean Premier League have provided them with opportunities to earn big in the game.
It seems like yesterday but today marks exactly 20 years after 13 football supporters lost their lives in a stampede at the National Sports Stadium.
The disaster unfolded during a 2002 World Cup qualifier between Zimbabwe and South Africa.
The scars, inflicted by the biggest sporting disaster in this country, have not yet healed.
The youngest victim, Dean Alec Fidesi, who was only six when he died in that stampede.
George Chin’anga, who was working in the finance department at Innscor Africa and was pursuing further studies, also died in that tragedy.
Eularia Made never lived to see her graduation day at the University of Zimbabwe.
She could have been 41 this year.
The other victims were Tawanda Gwanzura, Patrick Mpariwa, Killian Madondo, Sam Mavhuro, Enock Chimombe, Joyce Chimbamba, Benhilda Magadu, Ronald Kufakunesu, Tonderai Jeke and T. Makonese.
The football community have a tendency to forget but Dynamos, the team Fidesi supported, yesterday urged the nation to spare a thought for those who died in the tragedy.
“The 13 lives lost on the 9th of July 2000 at the National Sports Stadium in the wake of crowd melee shall, forever, be dearly and fondly missed by all members of the family of football in Zimbabwe,” said DeMbare chief executive officer Jonathan Mashingaidze in a statement.
“The tears may have dried since then but the memories of those precious souls lost on the day, remain etched on our hearts.
“The 13 candles, who had joined the other fans to rally behind the Warriors against Bafana Bafana on the fateful wintry Sunday, got blown away by the violent and chilly winds.
“Dynamos Football Club, as one of the clubs whose supporters form the core of the Warriors’ band of fans, would like to console and comfort the families of the thirteen Patriots who violently lost their lives while supporting their beloved Warriors.
“All clubs should spare a thought for the 13 as well as other fans we lost on the football front.
“We shall forever do whatever possible, as a club, to join the rest of the family of football in remembering fans who have lost their lives while on duty as the twelfth player.
“May their dear souls rest in eternal peace.”
The tragedy, which is the worst sporting disaster in Zimbabwe, struck towards the end of the 2002 FIFA World Cup qualifier between the Warriors and Bafana Bafana.
Police fired teargas into the crowded bays to quell disturbances after the visitors doubled their lead.
Fans, irked by the way some Bafana Bafana players appeared to mock them after Delron Buckley doubled side’s lead, rained missiles on to the pitch.
The response by the security officials was largely blamed for the catastrophe.
The stampede led to the abandonment of the game.
Apart from the 13 who died, scores were injured.
The National Sports Stadium has also been blamed for structural defects, which make it difficult for crowd control and management, especially in times of trouble.
The chairman of the ZIFA First Instance Body responsible for stadium inspections, Piraishe Mabhena, said such incidents should never be repeated again.
He said safety and security issues were among the reasons why the National Sports Stadium was banned by CAF and FIFA from hosting international matches.
“It’s unfortunate we have to refer to that sad incident again. But such things can be, should be, and must be avoided at all cost,” he said.
“Obviously, stadium safety is of paramount importance and is on the priority list of the renovations currently taking place at the National Sports Stadium and other football venues.
“As the inspection team, all inspections that we do take into account the security aspect.
“This is one of the reasons why CAF keep making noise about some stadia not being up to scratch.
“For example, our National Sports Stadium is such a beautiful facility but it’s those finer details that should be given special attention for it to be certified fit.
“CAF take safety and security issues seriously, that is why they have asked every member association to establish a safety and security office.”
Last year, the National Sports Stadium experienced another unfortunate stadium fatality when Egna Nyamadzawo was crushed to death in a stampede at the entrance before Zimbabwe’s final AFCON qualifier against Congo-Brazzaville.
National Stadium Safety and Security officer, Emmanuel Mutunami, who is also employed by CAF to lead stadium safety on the continent, yesterday said it was unfortunate that in 2000, the crowd control systems were bad.
“It’s unfortunate, that time, the systems used to control the crowds were not spot on,” he said.
“To avert similar disasters from happening again, in the future, we have adopted some ways of crowd management.
“In the past, the law enforcement agents used to be in charge of all the safety and security issues around the football stadium but things have changed.
“It used to be called crowd control but now it’s referred to as crowd management. It is now directly under the safety and security office established by CAF.
“Each member association must have this office. The officers receive high level training from CAF and FIFA in crowd management.”
Last year, CAF held a workshop in Egypt where they unveiled their first Safety and Security Regulations to be followed by all the member associations.
THE Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Youth, Sports, Arts and Recreation are happy with the progress in the refurbishment of Sakubva.
The stadium last hosted a Premiership match three years ago.
The renovations, which are also being bankrolled by the Government, have been going on for months now.
There is hope the stadium will meet the minimum acceptable standards soon.
Work on the stadium is almost 90 percent complete. Acting chairman of the committee, Highfield East MP Eric Murayi, said good work has been done at the stadium.
“We are satisfied with the work that has been done,” he said.
“They are now almost 90 percent complete and we are positive they will meet ZIFA and PSL standards for the stadium to host Premier League games.”
There was, however, need for Government to provide more funding for the stadium to be able to host bigger matches.
“In terms of them meeting the PSL standards, they are on course, but for them to meet CAF standards, it now needs the intervention of Government,” he said.
“We have advised them to write to us, as Parliament, so that we can push together for the funds to be released.
“The situation that we have at the moment, that we are supposed to play our home games away, is not ideal.
“Everyone must play a role so that our stadiums can meet those standards.” Mutare City town clerk, Joshua Maligwa, said they would increase revenue collection to raise the US$94 000 needed to put the final touches to the stadium. He said although revenues had significantly dropped during the Covid-19 lockdown period, there was hope work would be complete as some local companies had come on board with funding.
“We have done the perimeter fence, the precast wall and we finished the razor wire on the wall,” he said.
“The last time we appeared before the committee we had many issues that were outstanding, including the changing rooms, the doping rooms and the conference centre but that has since been finalised. We hope in few days, we will be done, save for some few touch-ups on the ablution facilities for the VVIP stands and some other rooms which we intend to use as corner shops within the stadium.
“Mega Market have donated another VVIP stand which will be established on the other side of the stadium.
“By the time we resume games, it will all be done.”
Noman Mapeza still remembers it all – the teargas, the panic in the packed bays, as thousands fled towards the exit corridors, the confusion and the silence in their dressing room.
Then, the sheer weight of the tragedy, when the news filtered through, hit them hard.
First, there were whispers, many of the Warriors were in denial, before confirmation started coming through that, indeed, some people had died at the National Sports Stadium that day.
“Everything appeared to stop,” Mapeza told The Herald yesterday.
“People just stared at each other, things just appeared to have come to a standstill, the shock was unbearable, it’s the kind of horror you never think you will go through in your life, let alone in football.
“There was silence, the confusion was unbearable, we are football players and our job is to try and give our fans something to make them smile.
“We play to try and win matches, all the time, and there is even more responsibility when it comes to the national team because you are representing your country.
“The whole nation is looking at you to deliver and you try your very best to do just that, to make millions of people happy, because football has this powerful effect.
“Then, you hear such tragic news, in a game in which you were part of, it just destroys you and I can tell you that most of the boys who were in that Warriors team that day have been haunted by what happened that afternoon for years.
“We have quietly carried the burden and it hasn’t been easy, just knowing that you were part of the team and, on that day, 13 of your fans died.
“These are people, just like all of us who were on the pitch that day, we are one team, that’s why we sing one national anthem and, when we win, we celebrate together.
“To just imagine that we lost them was unbearable and, even now, it’s something that brings this terrible feeling, thinking about it and knowing that they died for our cause.”
Today marks 20 years since that 13 Warriors fans, including one, as young as six, lost their lives in the stampede at the giant stadium during a 2002 World Cup qualifier between the Warriors and Bafana Bafana.
Mapeza was the Warriors’ captain that afternoon and his team had just gone down 0-2 to the visitors, in the late stages of the game, when trouble exploded.
Some Warriors fans reacted to being taunted by the visitors, after they had effectively ended the contest, by raining an assortment of missiles on the pitch.
In response, police fired teargas into the packed stands, triggering the pandemonium which ended with a stampede which left 13 fans dead in the biggest sporting disaster in the country’s history.
There had been signs that the atmosphere was highly charged in the first half when, after the referee appeared to give a wrong call against the Warriors, some fans reacted furiously and sent missiles onto the pitch.
Mapeza, as captain, led the appeals for the fans to let the game continue, with the Warriors skipper and his men confident they could wipe out the one-goal deficit and win the game.
However, when trouble again erupted, with less than 10 minutes left on the clock with Bafana Bafana enjoying a two-goal cushion, the situation could not be calmed this time.
And, at the end of the madness, 13 Warriors fans were dead.
For Mapeza, when the referee abandoned the match, the first battle was a very personal one.
“My brother Kennedy had rushed onto the pitch and came to me to say, in the confusion, he had been separated from our father,” said Mapeza.
“They had been sitting together in Bay 17 but, somewhere, along the way as they rushed to the exits, they got separated and, in full kit, I had to run up the stairs to go and search for my father.
“The confusion, and the fear, was just too much and, after a search, I found him sitting outside the stadium and there was a sense of relief that he was safe.
“I rushed back to join the boys and we went to the dressing rooms, that’s when the news started coming through, some of it appeared to be just speculation but it wasn’t a good dressing room to be in I can tell you.
“It’s something that you just can’t forget like that, no matter how you try, and wherever life takes us I think, as the players who were in that team, we will always carry this heavy burden.
“You know, you tell yourself that, maybe, if we were winning that match, things would not have ended up happening the way they did but, unfortunately, you can’t change anything.
“Football is meant to unite people, it’s never meant to result in tragedy, that’s why Didier Drogba and his fellow players made that decision to take their national team game to Bouake, a city in his country which was the stronghold of the rebellion, because they wanted to unite their nation.
“They achieved that goal, in a way, and that’s what this game should be all about.
“So, for it to be hit by tragedy, as we saw that day, isn’t something that you expect and to be part of the horror makes it even more difficult.
“When you read about these tragedies at stadiums, when they occur in other countries, you don’t get the true impact they have on people until one strikes on your doorstep.”
Mapeza said, as the skipper that day, he can only pray that those who lost their beloved ones continue to find a way to be strong.
“That’s what I can do, to tell them that we still share their pain and everything they have gone through in the past 20 years because their loss is also our loss,” he said.
“The supporters who died that day were on a national cause so, they will always be part of our team as Warriors and, on the occasions we succeed, we should never forget them.
“It actually placed a bigger responsibility on us to do better than what we had been doing in the past, when it came to the national team games, because we had to honour their memory.”
Mapeza, who has since coached the Warriors, say those who perished that day will always have a special place reserved for them in the history of the national team.
“Without a doubt, we are talking of our fallen heroes, they will always be with us in spirit.”
Skillful Highlanders forward, Prince Dube has opened up he was getting used to the ‘new normal’ as it is highly likely that the 2020 Zimbabwe Premier Soccer League will kick start this season.
The Castle Lager Premier Soccer League came to a halt when government in March suspended all public gatherings including sporting events as a way a stopping the spread of the novel coronavirus.
In an interview with NewZimbabwe.com, Dube admitted the situation was tough for Zimbabwean professional footballer who depended on the sport to put food on the table.
“I think things are very hard, not only for me but for every player in Zimbabwean football.
“For me I am just trying to adjust and face the situation as it comes because I have experienced that in a football career, anything can happen,” said Dube.
His glittering campaign last season earned him a second runner-up Soccer Star of the Year gong.
Dube scored 12 goals for Highlanders, helping the Bulawayo giants survive relegation in the second half of the season and to end the campaign on sixth position.
He also played a huge part in the Warriors’ qualification for the 2021 CHAN tournament with his brace and hattrick in 3-1 wins over Lesotho and Mauritius respectively.
Dube also said the coronavirus did not stop him from working out and staying fit for whenever the season will start.
” I am just keeping myself busy by doing my own session to keep my body in shape and active,” he said.
Springbok record-holder Tonderai Chavhanga has left his position as the assistant coach of his native Zimbabwe, citing increased work commitments elsewhere.
Chavhanga (36) worked under Zimbabwe’s head coach Brendan Dawson last year in the SuperSport Challenge, South Africa’s second-tier domestic competition, before assuming the same role at Test level with the full national side in the four-nation Victoria Cup competition.
Despite losing all seven matches in the SuperSport Challenge, Zimbabwe Academy began to show major improvements with each passing game, and Chavhanga was credited by the players themselves for his impact in the visible progress of a sharpened backline.
Following the debut SuperSport Challenge season, Zimbabwe proceeded to win the Victoria Cup after triumphing in five out of six Tests against Kenya, Uganda and Zambia.
The Zimbabwe Rugby Union (ZRU) has been making concerted efforts to line up a strong technical team to guide the Sables to the 2023 World Cup in France, with Chavhanga very much part of the plans until his recent decision to leave the job.
But the Cape Town-based former winger, regarded by his admirers as the quickest rugby player in the world in his pomp, has been unable to balance coaching and his business interests in the fuel industry in South Africa.
“Unfortunately I’m just too busy with work commitments and could no longer commit my time to the team,” Chavhanga told IndependentSport this week.
“It’s sad not to be part of the journey going forward, but I’m grateful to Dawsie who gave me the opportunity to contribute to my country when he appointed me as his assistant coach. I’m incredibly grateful for the time I spent with the team. It was great to see how our players grew in confidence week by week during the SuperSport Challenge and even better to see them carry the momentum into the Vic Cup. I built a great friendship with Dawsie and the management team as well as becoming more than a coach, but a brother to the players. What excited me the most was working with such a group of talented players with a hunger to succeed.
The environment that Dawsie created for the team made it enjoyable for everyone who was part of the set-up. Leaving was a tough decision to make, but I felt that I couldn’t commit my time to the team, it was not fair on the team. Zimbabwe has really good coaches like Gordon Pangeti and Danny Hondo, they will do really well with the team.”
The Sables role was Chavhanga’s first coaching experience, but the former Stormers, Lions and Sharks speedster does not see himself committing to the job on full-time basis, although he has not ruled out future involvement with Zimbabwean rugby.
“I don’t see myself taking up any official coaching position as I need to focus on my business,” said Chavhanga.
“I have been in regular contact with Dawsie and I will always avail myself to assist in whatever way I can, even if it’s not in a coaching capacity.”
Zimbabwe last took part in the World Cup back in 1991, and with the country focussed on a return to the showpiece in 2023, Masvingo-born Chavhanga has tipped the Sables to achieve their goal if the team receives full backing.
“We have the players and a great coaching team, but unfortunately without resources no one will ever know just amazing we can be,” he said. “I know we are living in tough economic times, but if our players receive more support we would not only qualify to the World Cup, but we would be competitive. When everyone is healthy, we have great depth in every position. It is the kind of headache any coach would want to have.”
Four-time capped Chavhanga scored six times on debut for the Springboks against Uruguay in 2005, a South Africa record for the most number of tries scored in one game.
Meanwhile, the ZRU has made adjustments to the Sables coaching department, with both Dawson and team manager Jason Maritz retaining their positions.
Former Zimbabwe captain Daniel Hondo has been confirmed as the backline coach, with Liam Middleton staying on as defence coach.South African Graham Knoop, who toured Zimbabwe in 2018 as captain of Cape Town’s False Bay Rugby Club, joins as line-out coach.Harare fitness guru Alice Randall is the team’s new physiotherapist.
Shaun Bartlett, the former Bafana Bafana captain, played 74 times for South Africa and that statistic, alone, is sufficient to earn one legendary status in any sport.
Many football fans will remember the former Bafana Bafana player as a bustling striker for Charlton Athletic in the English Premiership, where he made 126 appearances in six seasons.
In contrast, Zimbabwean Willard Katsande, who has also captained his country, has nearly spent his entire career in Africa, with the former Warriors hard-man looking likely to hang up his boots on the continent after nine years in the South African top-flight league with glamour club Kaizer Chiefs. But, as they say on the streets, game recognises game.
Yesterday, Bafana Bafana legend Bartlett, who is now assistant coach at Kaizer Chiefs, paid tribute to Katsande, remarking that the steely Zimbabwean remains a key figure in the Amakhosi line-up even at the age of 34.
In an interview with South African media yesterday, Bartlett described Katsande as a leader and core player who “everybody” looks up to.Furthermore, he lauded Katsande for his “tactical discipline.”
High regard, indeed, from no less a decent footballer than Bartlett. Katsande has enjoyed success for nearly a decade in South Africa, winning multiple trophies with a great club. He has earned his place in South African football folklore and, even as he probably approaches retirement, you feel that beyond his post-playing days, his wealth of experience is going to be utilised in that country more that his own.
Case of a prophet not having honour in his own country? You could well say so.But there just has to be a way around it for Zimbabwe. For many years, we have earned quite a reputation of being a breeding ground for some of the world’s best sporting brains, yet as a nation we seem unaware of the world-class quality that we possess.
Bartlett is a model professional. When he gives his props to Katsande, and speaks in the manner he does about the former Warriors star, you just have to sit up and listen–for he knows what he is talking about.
One day, when we start to value ourselves as the rest of the world does, who knows what we can become as a sporting nation?
When Marvelous Nakamba signed for Aston Villa last year, a refreshing wave of joy swept across our football community.
Even some Zimbabweans, who ordinarily don’t really care so much about football, found themselves celebrating the midfielder’s multi-million dollar move.
It was an irresistibly feel-good story for all of us — a boy born in a poor family in Hwange using his football talent to go all the way and land a deal with an English Premiership side.
He told us how his mother had to tirelessly work in South Africa, just for him to get a pair of football boots, when he was growing up, to continue pursuing his dream to one day be a professional footballer.
Now, with an estimated pay package of about £55 000 a week at Villa, life had come full circle for Nakamba, and his family, and they didn’t need to worry about money anymore.
For us, as a nation, there were even some bigger stories.
His rise had provided a model, to thousands, if not millions, of kids growing up in poor families in this country that, with hard work and focus, it was possible for them to change their plight.
Many of them dream of becoming professional footballers, seduced by the lifestyles of the rich and famous stars they see on television, or read about in the newspapers.
And, in Nakamba, a humble fellow from Hwange, they had found a perfect model that, should they pursue their dreams, despite their challenges, they could one day reach the very top.
They could, one day, play against some of the finest footballers in the world like Paul Pogba, whom Nakamba was marking on Thursday night, and the rest of these elite athletes.
They could also transform the plight of their families, like Nakamba is doing, having built his parents a house back home in Zimbabwe and setting up a number of business ventures for them to explore.
Crucially, they could also transform their communities, like Nakamba has been doing, through the establishment of his football school to give scores of budding footballers a chance, and the proper training and facilities, to develop themselves.
For us as a nation, it felt good to realise that the production line of footballers good enough to play in a top league like the English Premiership, did not have to end with Benjani Mwaruwari.
We have always derived a lot of pride, as a country, that in the infancy of the English Premiership, the first African footballer to play in that league was a Zimbabwean.
Peter Ndlovu, the former inspirational captain of our Warriors, got that honour in August 1992, when he featured for Coventry City in the second week of that league championship campaign.
In doing so, he opened the doors for scores of other African footballers, like Jay Jay Okocha, Tony Yeboah, Lucas Radebe and Didier Drogba to come into the EPL and establish themselves as legends.
We have always derived a lot of pride, as a country, that when the EPL was in its infancy, the only two African footballers on the roaster of some of its clubs were Zimbabweans — Ndlovu and goalkeeper Bruce Grobbelaar.
That the man we affectionately call “Jungleman,” went on to become the most successful African footballer, among those who played in England, has always given us some bragging rights.
Six league titles with Liverpool, a European Cup winners’ medal, three FA Cup winners’ medals and three League Cup winners’ medals, represents an amazing success story for Grobbelaar.
The other reason why there was a lot of excitement, throughout the country, when Nakamba made the grade to play in the EPL was that we all believed that, playing under some of the best managers in the game and against some of the best footballers, would help lift the level of our midfield star another notch.
That would be good news for our national team which can only benefit from the exposure that it can derive from some of its leading players regularly playing at a very high level of the game.
With Tino Kadewere also causing waves in French football, and moving to giants Olympic Lyon, after winning the Golden Boot in League 2 at Le Havre, this was exactly what our national team needed — its stars playing at this top level.
However, with Nakamba appearing to have lost his place in the Villa first XI, and his club seemingly destined for relegation from the EPL, the excitement, which initially greeted his move, appears to be fading across the country.
The optimism we had, that Nakamba could use Villa as a platform to showcase his talent and even move to a bigger, and better club, has gradually been fading and is now being replaced by a cloud of pessimism amid a flurry of questions related to his future should Villa be relegated.
One thing for sure is that Villa won’t afford to pay the likes of Nakamba their big wages, should the Birmingham team fall into the Championship, and the club, in an era where the finances of the leading football franchises have been hit hard by the Covid-19 outbreak, will have to make some tough decisions.
It could mean parting ways with some of their big earners, like Nakamba, and that would be a huge setback in the career of a footballer we have, as a nation, taken to our hearts.
It’s a difficult time for Nakamba and his team and we can only hope that they pull off the Great Escape because we have a lot to benefit, as a nation, should he continue to play in the EPL.
A few years ago, she packed her bags and headed out to the United Kingdom where she became the first female rugby player from this country to be signed up by an English club.
A former pupil of Girls High School in Harare, the 21-year-old was snapped up by Wolverhampton women’s rugby team in November 2017.
Since then she has never looked back.
And she owes it all to her brother, Taona.
“My brother and role model, Taona, played rugby in high school and that was literally the only thing he spoke about,” she said.
“I was getting annoyed with just listening to him sharing his experiences and (one day) I decided to give rugby a go and, to my surprise, I loved it.”
Her rugby journey began in 2011 at Girls High School under the guidance of coach, Abraham Rwodzi,
At times, the Lionesses would have fitness sessions conducted by another coach, Lovemore Kuzorera.
Girls High School have turned themselves into the “School of Sporting Excellence” as they also produced two other rugby players, Debbie Mutebuka and Debra Teterai, who are now plying their trade in Poland.
Mutebuka and Teterai are Jeremiah’s former teammates at Girls High School where they won a number of accolades. The latter went on to join Mbare Junior Rugby Academy before she left for England.
“In 2015, I joined the Mbare Junior Rugby Academy where I gained confidence under coach Victor Pekani and made friends like Apollo and Gracious who have now become family,” she said.
“Through Mbare Academy, I managed to acquire a scholarship at Vainona High School where I did my ‘A’ Levels.
“I played prop and my coach at the time was Shingirai Zhoya. I am currently playing prop for Wolverhampton ladies team in England.
“I joined the ‘Wolf Pack’ in November 2017 and the ladies there are supportive, both on and off the pitch.”
Women’s rugby in England is quite competitive and her club were ranked third last season in the Women’s National Challenge 2 in Midlands South.
“The club has recently started weekly fitness sessions in preparation of pre-season and social distancing requirements are being met,” she said.
“Sadly, the coronavirus outbreak has affected the season as no specific dates have been given as to when the season will commence.”
Her coach is Neil Jones.
“You’ve got to be fit, fast, strong and smart,” Jeremiah said. “At Wolverhampton there’s a great skill set, mentally, and the team is pretty composed on the field. The coach, Neil Jones, talks well, communicates really well with the players and you need that as a player.”
Jeremiah is also studying medical science at Wolverhampton College and she will graduate this month.
“I’m starting university this coming September and I will be studying midwifery for three years,” she said.
“My inspiration comes from the emotional and physical support that I receive from my loved ones.”
