The Sunday News
Mehluli Sibanda
WELL travelled football coach, Luke “Vahombe” Masomere is close to a return to the game with clubs locally and outside the country after his signature.
Masomere has spent the bulk of this year setting up his chrome mining business in Midlands where he holds two claims, one in the Valley and the other in Mapanzure. The 49-year-old said a lot was taking place behind the scenes with his return to football imminent.
“It’s not like there is no money in football, it’s just a matter of time, something is happening behind the scenes, in South Africa, Swaziland and Zimbabwe. While I am also doing mining I am also planning my life with my family,’’ Masomere said.
He said while he has provided employment for his workforce, he was now looking for a job himself and is certain in the next two weeks he would have secured one.
“The next two weeks I will be coaching, if I want to go outside the country or stay in Zimbabwe it’s really up to me. Everything is moving smoothly with my mining business, now I am ready to go back to football, I can start anytime. I have a workforce, so I am an employer who is also looking for a job. I am definitely going back to football,’’ said Masomere who holds Caf A coaching licence he secured in 2014.
Masomere started off his coaching career at his former club Hwange after his career was ended by a sheen injury in 1994. He has also coached Masvingo United, Dynamos, How Mine, Shabanie Mine, Border Strikers and Caps United locally. In Botswana, he has taken charge of Gaborone United, Nico United and Notwane. At national team level, Masomere was the Warriors coach from 2008 up to 2009 and was the Under-23 mentor where he had Madinda Ndlovu as his assistant.
On his last assignment at Border Strikers, Masomere feels that cannot be described as employment as to him that was just a holiday in Beitbridge.
“My last job was How Mine, at Border Strikers I was just helping them out, I can’t say I was employed by Border Strikers, I just helped them out for the last seven games of the season,’’ he said.
He is grateful to the Government for the two mining claims which he got after being a sponsor in the mining industry for a number of years. On whether he has made any money from mining, Masomere said he has managed to provide for his family and send his children to school with proceeds from the business.
“I was given mining claims by the Government of the Republic of Zimbabwe. I got the claims three months ago, before that I was sponsoring other people, now I am on my own. It’s a matter of survival, you can’t fail to provide for the family and send kids to school,’’ Masomere said.
The Zimbabwe Football Association has set the minimum qualification as Caf A for coaches and their assistants in the Premier Soccer League. This means individuals like Masomere are at an advantage.
