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Gerald Maguranyanga-Special Guest-Sharuko On Saturday
THIS feels like a direct VVIP invitation, if not even, the equivalent to celebrated royalty, just this once, directly inviting a commoner me, your boy Gerald, to the top table at the palace.
Wow!
Inquisitive, normal folk would never turn down such solicitation.
Folks, I am truly just a regular bloke, eager to revel in my few minutes of fame, starring on the famous ”Sharuko on Saturday” column.
Please, don’t hate me.
Just this once, today, in the year of our Lord 2021, May 29, I stand in the glorified shoes of Robson Sharuko also known as Chakariboy, arguably, the most-enduring Zimbabwean sportswriter of his generation.
At the very outset, like Chakariboy has emotionally done, in recent days, I would like to repeat honouring one of the big names that inspired him on his writing journey, the wordsmith Tinaye ”TG” Garande.
He passed away at the tender age of 24, what an inconceivable tragedy.
He was my Glen Norah homeboy but he would never really trust me because I was close friends — from school, to this day — with his gorgeous younger sister, Farai, the one over-protected, from anything male.
Garande remains to me, possibly, the finest all-round sportswriter I ever read.
Eat your heart out @Chakariboy!
Though I am widely-regarded as a soccer guy (preferring ”soccer” designation to ”football”) as I never wanted to confuse footy with American Football.
I am a big New England Patriots fan, I have also enjoyed wonderful life in the rough-and-tumble world of rugby, where I was a decent 14 for Chimurenga Rugby Club.
I wasn’t the fastest guy, but you could never call me slow.
In my journey, I quickly earned a seat at the top table of local rugby, when I was elevated to an unlikely Zimbabwe Rugby Union board membership post, at the tender age of just 23.
Maybe, it’s something to do with Michael Jordan’s jersey number at the Chicago Bulls.
Militant black clubs, led by you-know-who, (no, I did not say Temba Mliswa) fought for years, dismantling the die-hard white cartel.
Soon, we were pre-eminent as fellow decision makers on the-then, virtually all-white, powerful board of big names such as solicitor David Morgan (now late), etc.
My rugby journey would link me to Kennedy Tsimba, who I would go on to represent, as his agent, it’s an amusing little story.
When just about everyone else doubted Tsimba (ostensibly because he had “no defence”, whatever that meant), I had retained faith in his abilities, even when he was seemingly stuck in Zimbabwe for years, and just couldn’t make an overdue move abroad.
I was in England in 1998.
I strategised to bring Kennedy to London’s Blackheath Rugby Club, where I was on a training attachment.
Blackheath is the oldest rugby club in the world, they had just turned professional in 1997, recruited Hika Reid, and several other former All Blacks, and I had the time of my life, at the Rectory Field.
From the historic ”Heath”, Tsimba found his way to English glamour club Bath who, however, would reject him, after just one season.
Tsimba and I regrouped, back in Harare and, in May of 1999, I delivered again, by fashioning an unbelievable opportunity for him, at the Free State Cheetahs.
I will never forget the icy, unwelcoming reception we received, from the arrogant eight or so Springboks that were on the Cheetahs books, when I accompanied Tsimba to Bloemfontein, for his week-long trials.
Needless to say, Tsimba, from Day One, would go on to write a bewildering success story at the Cheetahs and duly earn the moniker, ”King of Bloemfontein.”
I still believe, on a good day, enterprising Tsimba was the best rugby player in the world, blessed with blinding speed, fancy footwork, an accurate spin-pass, phenomenal goal-kicking ability and an unusual so-called ”rugby brain.”
Before I get started, on the Prince of Zimbabwean rugby, ironman Victor Olonga, my protégé, speedster, Springbok Tonderai Chavhanga etc, allow me please to share longer on soccer, ”the people’s game”, the mainstay of this renowned ”Sharuko on Saturday,” blog.
I was born in Highfield, Harare, but grew up in the neighbouring Glen Norah, a high density suburb that was extraordinarily clean.
In the ”elokesheni”, just like Chakariboy has often shared about his growing up, in the compounds of the goldfields of Chakari, life often revolved around soccer. For me, it was soccer kick-a-bout, early in the morning before school started, soccer at break time, soccer after school, at school, and soccer once back in our hood.
Imitating legendary local soccer commentator, Charles ”CNN” Mabika, “we ate, drank and slept soccer.”
SO, I LIKED THE GREAT MHOFU, AS A PLAYER AND, LATER, AS A MAN
I will never forget the first black soccer player I saw, on Big League Soccer, was Garth Crooks, fantastic for Tottenham Hotspur.
I still hope to meet him one day and gratefully relate the stimulating impression he made on me in 1980, when I was only seven.
Crooks is now a big-name pundit on the Beeb.
Around about the same time, I became aware of George Rollo, George Shaya, Sunday Marimo (now Chidzambwa) and a few other trending footy names.
Shaya was a big name, I mean BIG!
But, for some reason, I would gravitate towards, and even scribbled a big number 5 in permanent ink, on my brand new white school sports T-shirt.
Needless to say, I got a warranted hiding for the Tee violation, but did I care?
I had just made my first-ever football shirt.
I was a make-believe Sunday Marimo, my football hero that I had never seen. I could never have imagined then that my footy superman and I would become family, travelling together, criss-crossing the football jungles of Africa, on Warriors’ assignments.
In the course of time, I would enjoy stints on-and-off training Dynamos, assisting DeMbare with their conditioning, connecting me to the heartbeat of local football.
It opened the door for me to influence a whole generation of some of the best players produced in independent Zimbabwe.
My relationship with the long-serving Dynamos captain, Memory Mucherahowa, was amazing, he openly supported the new fitness culture I was bringing to Dynamos, which some resisted.
In short, Mucherahowa had my back but the unprofessional system at Dynamos was ruthless.
My sole DeMbare regret was that I never got to influence, in particular, possibly the finest leftback to emerge in Zimbabwe, Claudius Zviripayi, and his dribbling-wizard brother, Vitalis Takawira.
What remained in common was our Glen Norah roots.
Holding on long, to my trainer position at Dynamos, was always a challenge.
Boardroom squabbles were routine, an unbelievable rumour mill created and cycled destructive gossip and the consequent damage stalled progress and frustrated many good players.
The very best player, repeating leading broadcaster Mike Madoda’s cliché, ”by a country mile,” I worked with at Dynamos, was Desmond Maringwa.
Unspeakable tragedy, sadly, paid Maringwa a punishing visit when he severely injured his knee, in a freak football-field accident.
He would have surely become a big-name player like King Peter.
I also worked with an astonishing line-up of coaches, at the local and national squad levels — Barry Daka, Rahman Gumbo, Brenna Msiska, Joey Antipas, Nelson Matongorere, Tonderai Ndiraya, etc.
Needless to say, the best of the locals was Chidzambwa, who earned Zimbabwe a maiden AFCON finals dance, in 2004, in Tunisia.
The international coaches include Zambian Keegan Mumba. Briton Eddy May, with whom I spent a good year with at Air Zimbabwe Jets in 2000, was very good.
The best imported tactician was Dutchman Clemens Westerhof, who excited us at Dynamos.
We often hear a lot about bad administrators but Seth Chigogora, my Dynamos organising-secretary was such a calm man and was loved, and respected by everyone, and got on with his ‘organising’, at the beast.
Rafiq Adam and Dominic Kambeu were also fantastic, so was Simon Makaza.
At ZIFA, Whyte Mpofu remains my all-time favourite administrator, he was tough, but a good man who laughed a lot while Rafik Khan and Leo Mugabe deserve a mention.
WHAT A DAY IT WAS, AT THE AIRPORT, FOR THE BRAND WARRIORS
Pointless to say, I have had an amazing array of players, at the national squads, in my days as trainer.
The best, by far, had to be Zimbabwe’s leading light, the everyday wonder boy of local soccer, younger brother to Zimbabwe’s football royalty, Madinda and Adam Ndlovu, Peter.
He quickly gained national fame when he was selected ‘Soccer Star of the Year’, in an unusual tie with George Nechironga, in 1990.
Peter would win the award again the following year, this time on his own, after just playing half the domestic season, he was that good.
He moved to English side Coventry City where he would become the first African to feature in the modern Premiership.
After trying, and failing on so many times, even in the days of Reinhard Fabisch’s Dream Team (arguably the best-ever Zimbabwe squad ever assembled, who didn’t make it, not because they were not good but it was difficult to qualify, for a 12-team AFCON), the Warriors, powered by the mercurial Peter, would eventually succeed under Chidzambwa.
On the day we flew out of Harare for Tunis, an unbelievable number of thousands of enthusiastic spectators thronged the airport and there was even the risk of a stampede.
The authorities reacted well and opened the security gates, enabling the fans to flood onto the restricted airport tarmac.
What our delegation thought would be a routine trip to the airport, from our usual base, the Cresta Lodge, to catch a charter flight to Tunisia aboard Air Zimbabwe, transformed into a huge spectacle.
Even the national broadcaster ZBC, carried the whole event live on national TV — unforgettable sights and sounds, to last me a lifetime.
While we never set Tunisia alight, in our Group of Death, where we played record winners Egypt, hardmen Cameroon and former champions Algeria, we competed toe-to-toe with these giants.
So, naturally, some of my favourite all-time Warriors’ battlers, from the Class of 2004 are Energy Murambadaro, Charles Yohane, Esrom Nyandoro, Tinashe Nengomasha, Ronald ”Gidiza” Sibanda, Joel ”Dubai Express” Luphahla.
Working with a national squad, loved by millions of fans, naturally, has its ups and downs.
The very worst defeat was a 0 – 2 defeat in Luanda, at the hands of Angola, in late 2012, when a place at AFCON 2013 in South Africa appeared secured.
The preceding entire week’s camp was bungled by the so-called manager, one energetic fellow, called Nyika Chifamba, whose incapacity was there for everyone to see.
How he even became the manager at the real team for the entire country, Dynamos, and wormed his way up to a whole national squad, will be shared in my no-holds-barred, upcoming book.
What an abomination!
Thankfully, Chifamba did not survive for long, after the Luanda disaster and he was gone, for good.
There were one, or two prima donnas, at the Warriors, whose identities I will reveal in my upcoming, tell-all blockbuster, autobiography.
So, if you worked with me and you played around with your birth certificate or worse, helped young players doctor their ages, I will soon expose your despicable name and act.
I am restricted for space but I will briefly mention that some of my best, and worst days, were with the national women’s squad.
In my forthcoming book, I will mention some men, around the women’s squads, who have, over the years, allegedly abused poor, impressionable, underage girls.
My friend of many decades, who then was ZIFA CEO, Jonathan Mashingaidze, unceremoniously fired me from the national women’s squad because I had publicly condemned him, for neglecting the women’s squad, and creating a food crisis.
My worst loss with the Mighty Warriors was in Abiokuta, a 0 – 4 thrashing in Nigeria.
The best game, with the girls, was away on tour in Uruguay where the ladies played a blinder, had three players sent off in some unashamed hometown decisions but rose, from one goal down, to score two beautiful goals, and win.
Coach Sithethelelwe Sibanda, aka ”Kwinji 15” has earned my respect.
Her football knowledge is amazing and I equally rate fellow coach, Rose Mugadza, way better than many male coaches I ever worked with.
IT’S A CRAZY WORLD OUT THERE
The craziest event I witnessed, in my football career, was when hardworking physiotherapist, Abigail Mnikwa, was unceremoniously ejected at Dynamos, because she ”brought bad luck” after we had lost just two matches on the trot.
This happened in 2009 when I was the Glamour Boys team manager.
Shame on you despicable Dynamos!
Another low point was when the Warriors Class of AFCON 2004 were denied their extra bonus of US$3 000 each, for the players, and US$6 000 each, for the technical squad as an added incentive, for beating Algeria, and coming home with our first victory at the tournament.
The standard was always to pay the head coach DOUBLE of whatever each of us, on the technical team, got.
So, somehow, our most celebrated local football coach, Sunday Chidzambwa, was robbed of a cool US$12 000.
Please pay Sunday his dues, he deserves them.
My days sitting on a technical bench came and went, but I remain tempted for one more gig, in some capacity, with the women’s team, but on my terms.
They would have to shed the terrible “Mighty Warriors” tag, for me, they are simply just another national Warriors’ squad. Simple!
On the condition, too, the squad turns fully-professional, something I always wanted to help the ladies to achieve, training hungry girls, in 2021, just doesn’t work out.
My life has been dominated by countless sporting experiences but, in my next stage, I have been all about closely-supporting my rugby-mad son TJ, who has just begun his professional rugby career in France, at Clermont, one of the biggest club sides in the world, at just 18.
Best wishes son.
As I grow older, I am privileged again to start working on a dream sporting project, in the Norton Constituency, with the local MP, Honourable Temba Mliswa.
My take ends appropriately, as is custom on this blog . . .
To God Be The Glory!
Peace to the GEPA Chief, the Big Fish, George Norton and all the Chakariboys in the struggle (whatever that means)
Come on Warriors!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Khamaldinhoooooooooooooooooooo!
Maguranyanga is a former Dynamos FC team manager, and a celebrated fitness trainer (and licensed soccer intermediary) who has trained ALL national age-groups, as-well-as both the senior men’s and women’s soccer squads.
Online Reporter