FOR NDIRAYA, IT’S A FAIRYTALE HE FELT WOULD NEVER COME

Veronica Gwaze

TONDERAI Ndiraya could not have asked for a better end of the year – lifting his maiden league championship, being crowned the Coach of the Year and getting a new job at ambitious side Scotttland.

Now, he is boosting his coaching credentials in Turkey, with the course having been bankrolled by his new employers.

Ndiraya moved to Scottland recently and he will be joined by Naison Muchekela in his coaching team.

When Ndiraya left Dynamos back in 2022, he did so with a heavy heart, feeling that he was leaving a huge chunk of his identity behind.

At some point, he recalls feeling like punching the walls to vent out his frustrations.

He led the Glamour Boys to a third place finish in the championship race.

He was forced to leave the club as the DeMbare leaders decided against renewing his contract.

In 2018, he was fired from Ngezi Platinum Stars, leaving the club in second position, trailing eventual champions FC Platinum by just five points, with 15 points still to play for.

Now, he has just struck gold at Simba Bhora.

“I had entirely ruled myself out of ever winning anything in life. Coming to Simba felt like a downgrade, but I have a lot of passion for football and decided to take the job.

“You know when you have been through a lot in life, it becomes difficult to just believe things.

“At some point, I felt that all this was unreal,” said Ndiraya.

There was a time, during this past season, that the ghosts of Ndiraya’s past threatened to come calling.

In May, some club executives and fans called for Ndiraya’s exit following a dull patch, which included a lifeless 1-1 draw at home against TelOne.

Club president Simba Ndoro defended him.

“It was a difficult time for me, and I thought the ghosts from the past were haunting me,” he said.

“In such moments, you have to put on a brave face in front of your players as they may lose confidence.

“A couple of tears did almost drop behind closed doors. There were moments when the pressure got too much, but I had to make sure I did not let my guard down.

“Now, I am happy it eventually worked out.”