The Sunday News
Emma Msipa and Ngqwele Dube
COMING from a family with football background, it was easy for Emmaculate “Chipah” Msipa to ease into football with the backing of her parents at the tender age of nine.
Msipa’s brothers, John (29) and Alfred (32) were already involved at various levels in the game when they told her football runs in the family so she shouldn’t shy away from the sport when she was in third grade at Budiriro 4 Primary School in Harare.
The encouragement prompted her to join Mufakose Queens as a junior player when she was 11 and that marked the beginning of a fruitful football career.
Being selected to play for the country’s national team at the age of 15 put to bed any doubts she had about pursuing professional soccer after the team bagged a bronze medal at the 2008 Cosafa Women Championship that was held in Angola.
A Mufakose High School pupil at the time, Msipa increased her focus on the game and by then she was an emerging star making her a bright prospect.
“I did not take football seriously although my brothers and parents encouraged me to take up the sport saying it was a talent that runs in the family. It was only after playing at the Cosafa Championships in Angola and the Zone Six Games that I realised that I can earn a living through the game professionally.
“I became more focused and sought to improve my play and with good grooming I became a better player as I graduated into the senior team at Mufakose,” said the midfielder, adding the likes of Nomsa “Boyz” Moyo, Precious “Gringo” Mpala and Sithethelwe “Kwinji 15” Sibanda were her inspirational idols.
As the years progressed, financial rewards proved elusive as the women’s game remained at amateur level in the country and it was only after defunct mining company, Marange Diamonds decided to sponsor a national women’s league in 2012 that a glimmer of hope shined for the female stars.
However, a year down the line things turned awry as the sponsorship dried up and in 2014 Chipah was forced to make the most painful decision of her career.
“Having been groomed by Mufakose Queens, I loved the team with all my heart although overtures had been made for me by other teams, I resisted hoping something similar to the Marange funding would emerge ensuring we get financial rewards but I realised it was a long shot and finally joined Black Rhinos last year as they offered salaries to players.
“My other peers were moving to uniformed forces teams for a stable fixed salary and it dawned on me that if I was to achieve my aim of earning from my talent then this was the chance,” said Chipah, who gained the nickname from her great ability in lobbing the ball.
The defensive link player, who has amassed 60 caps for the Mighty Warriors scoring six goals in the process, put her head on the block saying the Mighty Warriors would be going for a medal at the Rio Olympics.
The 28-year-old said they were not deterred by the tough opposition they would be facing in the group stages of the competition, Canada, Australia and Germany who are all in the top 100 of the Fifa Women’s World rankings.
“We are not going to make up numbers at the Olympics but I strongly feel we can bring back a medal — either gold, silver or bronze. After beating Cameroon we all realised we have it within us to achieve great feats because who would have thought we can overcome the mighty West Africans who have an illustrious history in the women’s game? We are prepared and I want to promise the nation that with their backing we can make it big,” she said.
Chipah still nurtures her dreams of playing overseas and says Rio will provide the right platform as she has always wanted to ply her trade in Germany, whose style of football she fell in love with long back.
Msipa stays with her parents in Budiriro and if she is playing soccer she would be at home watching music channel Trace or watching the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League.
@rasmthembo
