The Sunday News
Danisa Masuku
HISTORY is full of former soccer players who do not have a plan to fall back on after their careers come to an end.
Their glittering football careers often end rather abruptly, with many failing to make it outside the world of football resulting in most of them leading a beggarly kind of life.
A number of stories have been written about one former player or the other who has been forced into a life of begging or who received a pauper burial only because he had no survival plan after soccer?
Have you not met or interacted with one of these former stars whose life after football has turned miserably wrong despite having carried the nation’s hopes with various national teams or plying their trade in foreign lands.
The story of former AmaZulu defender, David Mkandawire, now a beggar on the streets of South Africa, is true testament of a once glamorous life gone badly. Mkandawire’s story made headlines, but made for sad reading indeed!
However, Zimbabwe international player, Tendai Ndoro led by example and began a campaign to raise funds to assist Mkandawire.
His unfortunate situation has to be food for thought for many a local football player and administrators too!
The sad story of Mkandawire is just but the tip of the iceberg. Another story that made for sad reading is that of the legendary Dynamos maestro George Shaya who despite a glittering football career decorated with honours, his life turned into a nightmare financially.
The sad chapter convinced Zimbabwe Football Association (Zifa) led by its president Phillip Chiyangwa to step in with a financial package and establish a medical fund to help the five-time Soccer Star of the Year who has hit hard times and is suffering from dementia.
In a landmark development, Zifa got the ball rolling by unveiling the George Shaya Benefit Fund.
The football mother body promised to invest an initial $3 000 towards the fund to help the legendary Dynamos forward meet his medical bills and his general welfare.
Zifa president Philip Chiyangwa personally donated $300 to Shaya at his home in Harare’s Glen Norah A high-density suburb to help the former footballer’s family while the process to set up the benefit fund is being finalised.
Some of football’s pundits point out that one of the contributing factors to that sad chapter to the lives of soccer players is that they do not contribute to the pension fund and they do not have insurance to cover for them when any eventuality befalls them.
Despite all this, there is a silver lining to this the dark cloud. The hope lies with the new generation of players like the former Highlanders, Zimbabwe Saints and Chicken Inn forward Castro “Cara” Ndebele.
Ndebele was a key figure of 2002 Bosso championship winning squad that included the likes of Dazzy Kapenya, Honour Gombami, Tapuwa Kapini, Brian Ndlovu, Bekithemba Ndlovu, Gift Lunga Jr, Blessing Gumiso, Richard Choruma, Thabani Masawi, Mkhokheli Dube, Anzlom Ndlovu, Thubelihle Nkomazana, Johannes Ngodzo and Thamsanqa Vundla. He was also part of the runners-up of Independence Cup in 2003 and also runners up of Unity Cup in 2003.
Having seen most players facing hardships at the end of their careers his father — Mike Howard Ndebele offered him a worthwhile piece of advice and urged his son to pursue a professional career to cushion him when his playing career comes to end. This spurred his son to go into teaching as his fall back plan and Castro attained a teaching diploma specialising in Physical Education at Hillside Teacher’s College in 2008.
“I was advised by my father to have a fall back plan because football is a short career and I was able to embrace his advice and enrolled for teacher training at Hillside Teacher’s College,” Castro shared.
When a recurring thigh injury finally took its toll on the young forward, he was forced to call time on his career at the end of 2010 and is today a full-time teacher at Nembe Secondary School in Tsholotsho.
Ndebele has a little nugget of advice for football players plying their trade in the Premiership League and also to budding players.
“Football career is too short and is unpredictable. So in that regard it is of good wisdom for players to prepare for life after their playing days come to an end. At times it is wiser to invest or pursue a course that would be one’s fall back plan in the future,” he advises.
Ndebele heaped praises to Highlanders forward Gabriel Nyoni and Chicken Inn midfield Clemence Matawu.
“The two players have a future way after their soccer careers end — Gabriel has just completed his Honours Degree in Marketing while Clemence is working towards completing Sport Science Degree at Nust. By doing so they are setting the right example for the younger players to emulate,” he said.
Ndebele is now heavily involved in grassroots football at his school where he identifies and grooms the talent. As such he advised PSL coaches and scouts to cast their net wider and reach for raw talent in rural areas.
“There is raw and abundant talent in rural areas that needs to be tapped and groomed for PSL teams and national team. But the problem is that most of the football administrators are reluctant to scout talent in rural areas,” he revealed.
Turning to his playing days, Ndebele has fond memories while he was at Highlanders.
He reveals: “The game that stands out for me is when we played Black Rhinos in Independence Cup final in 2003. We played as a unit and we were on top of the game but we lost to them after we conceded a soft goal,” he remembers.
A game that he wants to quickly forget is when they clashed against the now defunct Motor Action at Barbourfields Stadium.
“We were trailing Motor Action by one goal to nil. And I committed an offence which led to a two-goal lead. Our supporters turned the heat on me as they started to whistle at me and the coaches were left with no option but to substitute me,” Ndebele said.
At the end of the season in 2004 he left to a Division One outfit Sparrows FC where he spent a year before going into teaching.
He would go on to enrol for a teaching course at Hillside Teacher’s College majoring in Physical Education. During the semester break of 2007, he says he joined Turnall FC for half of a season.
In 2008 he joined Chicken Inn and spent a year with the side. In 2010 he had a dance with Zimbabwe Saints but the recurring thigh injury forced him to quit football at the end of the season.
Fact File
-Castro was born on 20 July 1982 at Mpilo Central Hospital.
-He was born in a family of three children — two boys and one girl.
-He is in a relationship to Beatrice Mlotshwa.
-He is blessed with three children — Michelle (14) Michael (6) and Millicent (1 year six months old)
-He fellowships at the Seventh Day Adventist.
-For his primary education he went to J W Mthikhulu Primary School and did his secondary education at Mzilikazi High School.
-While he was at Mzilikazi High School he won Copa Coca-Cola Cup.
-He says he wants to pursue a Sport Science Degree at Nust as he eventually wants to become a football administrator.
