Chiefs’ Zim trio to face Madinda’s Rollers

Sports Reporter
WILLARD Katsande, Matthew Rusike and Ovidy Karuru were still too young to have watched Madinda Ndlovu tear away past defenders with electrifying pace and trickery.

They will have a chance to meet him as head of the Township Rollers technical team when the two teams clash in the preliminary round of the African Champions League in February.

Even in the twilight stages of his career in the Dream Team era, the trio was still too young but early next year they will face his Botswana team, Township Rollers.

Ndlovu came to personify Highlanders FC and raised his profile with stunning contributions for the Warriors against formidable opposition like Bafana Bafana, Egypt and Malawi.

Then those national teams boasted the likes of Harry and Lawrence Waya, Chance Gondwe, Kennedy and Holyman Malunga, El Kathib, Doctor Khumalo and Chippa Malunga.

Ndlovu was a big name in his playing days whose magic on the football pitch enhanced the Highlanders brand. At one stage it literally was Him (Madinda) and the Rest at Highlanders.

So big was his stature as a player that so many kids in the 1980s were named after him. His brilliance earned him a handful of nicknames with some calling him Juluka, Khathazile and Madlezibabayo.

To the young Kaizer Chiefs trio, Ndlovu might not be part of their football folklore but he remains up there with some of the best Zimbabwe has produced that includes his own young brothers Peter and the late Adam, Moses Chunga, Boy Ndlovu, Tito Paketh, Stanley Ndunduma, Joel Shambo and Mike Abrams.

When Madinda was growing up in Bulawayo, Kaizer Chiefs were a growing brand in football in the 1970s that got so many people to follow it because of the results and the flamboyance that hovered around Kaizer Motaung and some of the founding players.

Since Ndlovu’s teens, Chiefs have grown to a club whose followership transcends beyond South Africa’s borders.

It surely has not been an easy draw for Township Rollers. There would be so much pressure on them as Gauteng is just less than three hours drive from Gaborone and thousands of Chiefs supporters may make the Botswana trip.

And with most of these teams’ supporters ardent South African football followers, Rollers may find themselves with a big chunk caught in between the two clubs.

Township Rollers are among a host of many Botswana clubs that have benefited from foreign coaches and a huge investment in them by corporate organisations and it would be folly for Chiefs to underestimate the opposition. They venture into the continent with more to lose for their brand value while a positive result against Chiefs would be an endorsement of a legend who has won championships on three occasions in Botswana.

It would be also a thumbs up to Botswana football which has shown steady signs of growth with several imports commanding regular playing time outside the country.

For Zimbabwean fans it is a match that would draw a lot of attention given that the Kaizer Chiefs players have roots in Harare and Madinda comes from Bulawayo.

The first leg of the first round matches are set for February 13-15 with the second a fortnight later.

In the Caf Champions League, holders ES Setif were exempted from the preliminary round with Coton Sport, AC Leopards, Al Ahly, TP Mazembe and Tunisian sides CSS and EST.

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