adminEddie Chikamhi
Senior Sports Reporter
FORMER Warriors defender, Kevin Moyo, was unveiled by Zambian champions Nkana FC yesterday as Zimbabwean players continued to flock to neighbouring countries in search of greener pastures.
Moyo was paraded on the club’s social media sites just moments after another Zimbabwean, Takudzwa Gilroy Chimwemwe, was unveiled by the Kitwe giants, who now have four Zimbabweans on their books.
The duo joined Jimmy Dzingai and goalkeeper Talbert Shumba at the club.
Moyo’s agent, Trust Nyambiya of TKT Sports Agency, yesterday said the 27-year-old defender will be in Zambia until the end of this season.
“He will be in Zambia on a short-term contract, obviously, because there is something big that is on the horizon for him.
“We wish him all the best and we hope everything sails smoothly for him.
“Football has changed these days. These players have families to feed, and parents to look after, and they need to be involved in football.
“That’s why they want leagues that are running, where games will be broadcast live on television,” said Nyambiya.
Moyo has been a free agent since September last year when he and his twin brother, Elvis, agreed with South African Premiership side Chippa United, to terminate their contracts. They had signed a two-year contract with the club in July 2019 but they left after just one season after a fallout with the struggling club.
Moyo was a regular in the starting XI at Chippa United where he made 30 appearances, mostly at centre-back, in all competitions, during his season with the club.
The ex-Warriors fringe defender had won the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League title twice in a row with FC Platinum before leaving for South Africa.
Nyambiya said he has had training stints in Turkey and, most recently, at Simba SC in Tanzania.
“After leaving Chippa, he has been to Turkey where he trained with Fenerbahce.
“When he returned we managed to get him an assessment at Simba SC in Tanzania with the help of (agent) Gibson Mahachi.
“He spent two weeks there and featured in a domestic Cup where he did very well.
“But, the only problem that arose in Tanzania was that Simba SC wanted a player for the Champions League, which means that he would only play maximum six games, depending on whether the coach has selected him.
“Kevin wanted to play games.
“At that time, we were pushing Peter Muduhwa’s move to Zambia so we ended up sending Kevin to Zambia and Peter to Tanzania,” said Nyambiya.
Nkana are one of Zambia’s most successful clubs having won 13 league titles, and second overall, with 44 trophies.
But, they have had a disappointing campaign in defence of the title. They are currently 16th on the Zambian top-flight league table with 14 points from 12 games.
The club, which appointed former Highlanders coach, Kevin Kaindu in December, have also missed out on the CAF Champions’ League Group stage qualification.
They lost 1-2 to Petro Atletico of Angola in the first round.
They are now trying their hand in the second-tier Confederation Cup.
Moyo is coming in as direct replacement for Kenya international, Harun Shakava, who was released recently by the Zambian champions.
Kaindu also played a big role in luring Chimwemwe (28) from league rivals Buildcon.
Chimwemwe spent one season with Buildcon before deciding to cross the floor. While football has failed to take off in Zimbabwe, since the beginning of last year, because of Covid-19 pandemic, and questionable decisions by the game’s leadership, many Zimbabwean players have been flocking to neighbouring countries where the game is running and remuneration is higher.
The other Zimbabwean players in Zambia include Ocean Mushure, Denis Dauda, Tafadzwa Rusike, Thabani Kamusoko, Tanaka Chinyahara and Evans Katema.
The doors have also opened in non-traditional markets like Tanzania.
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