Football loves its bad boys

THE legendary Pele called it the world’s most beautiful game.

In that beauty however, there are a bunch of players who choose to put some blemish and spoil the game.
Such players have been given a tag that resonates well with their misdemeanour’s.

They are football’s bad boys!

In most cases, they are the most talented. They are loved, adored by fans who wouldn’t mind spending their last dime to watch them play.

Every team needs a “good” villain to stir the pot. So, it’s only natural that football has to have such characters.
In their numbers, these players fill an endless list the world over. They are not a rare breed.

Talk of the English Premier League, crossing over to La Liga, Serie A, French Ligue 1 and the local Castle Lager Premiership you find them there.

One thing that binds these bad boys is their sheer and unmatched talent on the field. They also love partying and have a penchant for beer.

The bad behaviour off the pitch affects the players’ performances as some have had a time when they abscond or report for training under the influence of liquor and narcotics.
So good and entertaining is their play, but equally so bad is their behaviour. One pundit once described them as having a stinking one.

But does the game need villainy?

This question has been asked for generations since the first match was played in the 1800s.

The game’s best side is its dark side and that seems to be what excites the fans more.
Closer to home, a reminder of the bad boys draws the list of Mercedes Rambo Sibanda, Joseph Machingura, Thamsanqa Mvundla, Archford Chimutanda, Ronald Sibanda, Pride Zireni, Mthulisi Maphosa, Joel Ngodzo, Denzel Khumalo, Malvern Longwe, Lincoln Siwela, Guide Goddard and as many whose names are etched in memory as the ill-disciplined yet vastly talented.

Elsewhere, history has not forgotten about Luis Suarez, Sergio Ramos, Radja Nainggolan, Wayne Rooney, Diego Costa and Eric Cantona.

In all their menace, they still managed to score goals and make football a worthy experience. These are the people the football fans want to see. No one can deny this. One is forced to love or hate football’s bad boys.
Presently, Denver Mukamba, a player known for the bad moves in the community is pulling.

Mukamba is probably the worst role model in the modern football era.
No kid can pluck a good character trait from him. But that has not stripped him of his talent.

He earns his stripes on pitch and seems to lose himself after game time.

He shares such behaviour with the rest of the “bad boys” club.

Presently, Mukamba or Mundikumbuke as his fans love to call him, can brag as the poster boy of Zimbabwe football.
He is pulling the crowds back to the stadium even when he is not commanding a first team jersey.
Sunday offerings are even offered to the player.

Mukamba has been showered with cash by DeMbare fans at the end of the team’s matches this season in appreciation of his contributions to the team.

But the Dynamos Supporters Association secretary-general Jane Mushininga directed all supporters to stop rewarding individuals, saying the practice had the potential of dividing the team.

But the move has been met with resistance by a section of DeMbare supporters.
Some DeMbare fans even brought printed banners denouncing the national executive in defiance of the order when Dynamos drew 0-0 against Triangle United last weekend.

Fans were irked by the team’s poor showing on the day, barricaded the main exit to vent their frustrations.
Mukamba is almost an equivalent of Joel Ngodzo who is adored by the Highlanders’, Black and White family.

Ngodzo may be playing for Caps United, but his affection with Highlanders fans will never end.
In all of football memory there is a yearning pride with these talented “bad boys”.

“I know a number of players who failed to take advantage of the fame and careers that were cut short. Impact has its pros and cons.

Back in the day we had these players whose discipline was maybe not in line but were the most talented. These players just need a strict code of conduct,” said Zimbabwe Saints legend Godfrey Paradza.

On Mukamba receiving money from fans, Paradza, a former Dynamos player said: “I don’t see how it improves the club but it might change a person because he would want to impress the fans who are giving their hard-earned money. I believe giving one individual money may cause rifts in the side unless the money is shared.

“However, getting money from fans is not new. Back in the day we would meet fans and they would give you money if you did well though it did not necessarily happen on the pitch.”

Southern Region Division One side Arenel FC coach Kudzayi Mhandire signed ex-PSL goalkeeper Aaron Ngwenya who is known for indiscipline and Simon Munawa whose drinking escapades are well documented.

“They know what’s at stake and what kind of coach I am. I gave them a second chance to redeem themselves. I believe in rehabilitation.

“If I can’t rehabilitate then I am not a good coach. Bad boy tags can be ripped off by a mere one good thing, and having said that

I think they took heed of my commandments. Actually, I am surprised at how disciplined they are and how the two are guiding the young lads.

They are actually exemplary whether playing or not, off the field negatives are yet to show but I am sure they have grown over that now,” said Mhandire

After all, it’s entertainment and football players are just entertainers.
— @innocentskizoe