Vusumuzi Dube
Mehluli Sibanda, Senior Sports Reporter
UNITED States based former Highlanders and national team captain, Thulani “Biya” Ncube has paid tribute to local coaches who made an impact in his football career.
Posting on Facebook on Thursday, a day after National Coaches Day was celebrated in the US, Ncube mentioned three coaches as the mentors who played a huge part in his career. These were former Highlanders coach, Rahman Gumbo, Lazarus Zimangi an ex Zimbabwe Saints juniors coach and Lovemore Mavegi, a man he worked with while he was with the Gwabalanda juniors.
Biya, as he was popularly known during his playing days for Highlanders and the national team grew up in Gwabalanda, started off his career at Zimbabwe Saints juniors before he moved to Bosso where he also started off with the junior ranks.
“This is to the Coaches who made any impact in my soccer career. (1)Rahman (Rush) Gumbo -Highlanders First team, (2)Lazarus (Mukoma Juju) Zimangi – Zimbabwe Saints Juniors, (3) Lovemore (Mavegi) -Gwabalanda Juniors,’’ posted Ncube.
National Coaches Day began when then US President Richard Nixon signed a proclamation declaring 6 October 1972 National Coaches Day.
A central defender during his playing days, he won three championships in a row with Highlanders before he left Bosso to join Ajax Cape Town of South Africa. The 44-year old Ncube is involved in grooming the next generation of footballers in USA where he has been based for close to two decades.
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