Online Reporter
Eddie Chikamhi-Zimpapers Sports Hub
THE Sam Nujoma Stadium in Windhoek was electric that afternoon in 2007.
A band of Zimbabwean schoolboys, barely known beyond their neighbourhoods, stood shoulder to shoulder against South Africa’s highly rated Amajimbos.
By the time the final whistle blew and the penalty shootout ended 5-4 in Zimbabwe’s favour, history had been made.
For left-back Qadr Amini, then only 17, the feeling was surreal.
“It’s been a long time, but I still have vivid memories about the tournament,” he recalls.
“We went into the final against South Africa as underdogs. But I would like to think that it worked in our favour because we were so keen to prove ourselves.”
Eighteen years on, Amini is 35.
He looks back at that golden moment with a mixture of pride and wistfulness, knowing his class of 2007 remains the only Zimbabwean Under-17 team ever to win the COSAFA Cup.
The group that lifted the trophy was more than just talented; it was hungry.
“At that age, you have so much energy and so much potential,” Amini says. “We just told ourselves we needed to do our best, and at the end it was a dream come true.”
Their names still resonate with Zimbabwean football followers.
Khama Billiat, Knowledge Musona, Archiford Gutu, Lincoln Zvasiya, Eric Chipeta, Patrick Kaunda, Brian Abbas Amidu, George Chigova — the list reads like a roll call of future Warriors.
Many would go on to carry the national flag at Africa Cup of Nations finals.
Billiat and Musona, still active at 35, inspired Zimbabwe to three consecutive AFCON qualifications between 2017 and 2021.
The late Chigova became a national hero in goal.
Others like Amini, Amidu, Zvasiya and Gutu earned full Warriors caps, with Amini even captaining the Under-23s.
The foundation, Amini believes, was the key.
“We knew each other well because we played against each other in schools’ competitions,” he says. “So, when we got selected to the Under-17 national team, we were already acquainted.
“It didn’t end there. Most of us went on to play together at Under-20, Under-23 and senior level.”
Still, not every star lived up to the promise.
Players like Daniel Million and Elvis Mazivise faded after early promise.
“Some top talents failed to progress. I don’t know why. But the majority made it,” Amini says.
For Zimbabwean football, 2007 should have been the beginning of dominance. Instead, it proved a lonely peak.
In the 17 years since then, the Young Warriors have never repeated the feat.
Eight editions have been played, and Zimbabwe have stumbled at every turn.
At times, ZIFA even withdrew the team, decisions widely condemned as anti-development. The nation’s most fertile football age group was left starved of exposure.
Last year brought a flicker of hope when the Young Warriors reached the semi-finals, only to fall short of AFCON qualification.
Next month, Zimbabwe will host the COSAFA Under-17 tournament in Harare and expectations are high once again.
Amini is clear about what is required.
“Success comes from hard work,” he says. “They should play for themselves, their families and for the country. The national badge is more important. The advantage is that they are playing at home and the whole nation will be behind them.”
Behind that golden 2007 crop was a teacher with a sharp eye for talent.
Rodwell Dhlakama, often described as the unsung hero of Zimbabwe’s youth football, was head coach of the Under-17s then.
His methods, shaped by years in the school system, built a machine that won across age groups.
In 2007 alone, Dhlakama guided Zimbabwe to the inaugural ANOCA Zone VI Under-18 title in Lesotho, the COSAFA Under-17 crown in Namibia and the COSAFA Under-20 title.
Few nations on the continent have ever enjoyed such a haul in one calendar year.
Dhlakama attributes this to a structure that no longer exists.
“Honestly, we benefitted a lot from the NASH (National Association of Secondary Heads) schools football system and the other tournaments sponsored by companies like Coca Cola and M & H (Educational Suppliers),” he explains.
“We had coaches monitoring these boys from districts to provinces. These coaches helped with talent identification. We used to hold regular training camps during school holidays. So, we practically had a team in place even before the tournament dates.”
It was a conveyor belt of talent, built on schools’ football, that supplied national teams with ready-made players.
The gap today, he warns, is worrying.
“I’m afraid there is now a huge gap between schools’ football and ZIFA,” says Dhlakama.
From September 11 to 20, Zimbabwe will host the COSAFA Under-17 Championship for the first time. Twelve nations will gather in Harare, chasing two tickets to next year’s Africa Cup of Nations finals.
Yet concerns over poor preparations linger.
Dhlakama, a veteran of these tournaments, is blunt.
“Preparations must be thorough. We shouldn’t wait for the last minute. These boys don’t play football regularly since their leagues are haphazard. Physical fitness is paramount. They will play so many games in a short period, so endurance is needed, hence the need for proper conditioning,” he says.
Last week, ZIFA unveiled its plan.
A panel of experienced coaches — Thulani Sibanda, Norman Taruvinga, Backlyfield Chivenga and Jatson Maposa — was tasked to lead a nationwide talent identification programme.
In its statement, ZIFA promised a transparent process.
“The process will prioritise technical ability, tactical awareness, physical readiness and the right mentality to compete at the highest level.
“ZIFA is committed to building strong and competitive national teams.”
For Amini, memories of Windhoek in 2007 are still vivid — the noise of the crowd, the pressure of the penalties and the explosion of joy at the final kick.
But the real legacy, he insists, are not medals or trophies. It is the belief that Zimbabwe can produce players good enough to shine at the highest level.
That belief has been battered in the years since, but not extinguished. The golden generation of 2007 proved what was possible when structure, talent and hunger are aligned.
Now, as Harare prepares to host the next wave of Under-17s, the challenge is clear: Will Zimbabwe cling to nostalgia, or craft a new story?
Football can not be related to gambling, football is not based on miracles or prayers alone, it’s not a game of lucky, neither does it borrow strength from uncestral enterferences. It is scientific, it has stages that one has to follow from physical fitness, tactical, technical and mental abilities. Zimbabweans should make sure structures are in place, players are identified at some early stages and natured through various levels so that they adapt to the systems and become abled and ever ready players. Politicians should put systems in place and pave way for those with the technical abilities to do their work not to interfear with every stage while they are very ignorant to the game.