The Sunday News
Sports Reporter
HORDES of former footballers and administrators in Bulawayo were on Friday given a rare end of year treat by former Zifa vice-president, Omega Sibanda, who is also a Zanu-PF Member of Parliament for Vungu Constituency.
The gathering brought together footballers from as far back as the 1970s, stretching to recent years. The former greats, led by the Legends executive of former Highlanders players Netsai Moyo and Marko Dube, had time to meet and go down memory lane, in an evening that was punctuated with food and drinks.
The grouping brought together players from various clubs in the Southern Region and beyond, as well as former renowned administrators like former Highlanders player, coach and chairman Silas Ndlovu, former Zifa president and Zimbabwe Saints chairman Vincent Pamire, former Highlanders chairman Roger Muhlwa, former Highlanders vice chairman Modern Ngwenya, women’s soccer league boss Sibekiwe Ndlovu and players who cut their teeth in football in the 1960s like Chris Mhlanga.
The event, which brought together about 50 guests, was also graced by legends like Madinda Ndlovu, Rahman Gumbo, Cosmas Zulu, Philimon Dangarembwa, Zenzo Moyo, Gift Lunga (Snr), Gift Lunga (Junior) Dumisani Nyoni, Tobias Mudyambanje, Mandla Balanda, Johannes Tshuma, Peter Nkomo, Godfrey Paradza, Agent Sawu and Douglas Mloyi, among others.
Madinda Ndlovu
Speaker after speaker emphasised that former players had to remain united and seek opportunities to improve their livelihoods. The host, Sibanda, said not all former players can be coaches and urged former players to venture into new spheres and seek business opportunities.
“This evening is just to thank you legends for the positive contribution you made to the game of football and the country at large in your playing days. Some of you went on to play for the national teams with so much dedication and really made us proud. As former players you know the game of football better than most of us and you have a role to play to improve the game at whatever capacity. But of course, not all of you can be coaches, so there is need to seek business opportunities elsewhere so that you improve your livelihoods. Don’t be afraid to try new things, but still rooted and contributing to football,” he said.
Zanu-PF Politburo member for Business Administration Eliphas Mashaba said he will organise a business seminar with former players.
Vincent Pamire
“It is good to meet with you guys during this happy occasion. As Hon Sibanda has alluded to, there is need to get out of our comfort zone so that we try our luck in new areas like business. Nothing stops former players from being successful businesspeople and nothing stops former players from being politicians, you are all welcome to Zanu-PF. We have to organise a day where we can meet and discuss business opportunities that are in the city and beyond,” he said.
Speaking at the same occasion, former Highlanders chairman Silas Ndlovu urged Zimbabwe Saints board chairman Pamire to ensure that Saints bounces back to the Premiership. He said football was never the same without Highlanders’ city rivals.
“It’s good to meet as former players and administrators and this unity must continue. It’s good to meet and share ideas and talk about the good old days when we were still active in the game. I see Pamire is here, and I want to say revive Zimbabwe Saints. Football standards were high in the city when Saints were in the league and derbies with Highlanders were always memorable. We need to work together to make sure that football does not die. I also want to urge administrators to be innovative when looking for sponsorships, they must know what potential sponsors stand to benefit from being associated with their club. There is also need to synchronise coaching of all the teams from juniors to the senior team so that junior players can easily fit into the senior team,” he said.
Pamire said the game had suffered a lot from the recent Covid-19 pandemic and the ongoing ban of the country from international football by Fifa.
“We had Covid-19 affecting the game and now we have this ban that we are facing. So this means for four years or so our players are not playing to the best of their abilities and that is not good at all. It means that some players will be affected forever. But we are working hard to bring back normalcy and as former players, you also have a role to play. Don’t keep quiet when you have ideas that can turn around our game. Some of us don’t even sleep at night, as we try to seek solutions to the game of football,” he said.
