adminZhakata, whose group recently emerged to challenge the Zimbabwe National Soccer Supporters Association’s authenticity, arrived in Maputo leading a band of about 40 fans who travelled by bus to root for the Warriors in their World Cup qualifier against the Black Mambas on Sunday.
The controversial former Mabvuku basketball administrator and his delegation arrived in Maputo on Sunday morning, just hours before the Warriors’ clash against Mozambique, which finished 0-0 and went on to cheer their team at the Estadio do Zimpeto.
But it was after the game that Zhakata, masquerading as a Zifa official, took his band of supporters to the Warriors hotel in central Maputo and went on a drinking spree at the VIP hotel bar where they accumulated a bill of $1 251.
Zhakata and his followers were literally living large for close to two hours ordering full bottles of such whisky brands like Jack Daniels (11 bottles), Johnnie Walker (12 bottles) and Southern Comfort while the ladies helped themselves to bottles of Amarula, Laurenta Premium and ciders such as Hunters Dry, Cerveja Windhoek, and beer brands like Heineken.
When they failed to settle the bill and it dawned on the hotel management that they were not even guests at the hotel nor the official Zifa delegation, the supporters pointed to Zhakata as their leader for payment.
But after fruitless efforts to get their payment the VIP hotel management alerted the Mozambican police.
There was drama at the hotel lobby as Zhakata was already snoring when armed police came to arrest him.
He was still in police custody by mid-morning yesterday as Zimbabwe embassy officials and Zifa board member (marketing) Nigel Munyati made diplomatic manoeuvres to try and secure his release.
Zhakata’s detention also meant that the bus which the supporters had hired could not leave Maputo early yesterday morning as planned as they were still awaiting the fate of their leader.
Munyati, however revealed that some members of the official Warriors delegation had made some contributions to settle the bill and bail out Zhakata in a move the Aces Youth Academy director said was aimed at trying to save Zifa and the country’s image.
“Obviously as Zifa we have nothing to do with the arrangements that brought these people here and we thought they had genuinely come to support the national team but turned out to be a huge embarrassment.
“We are in good standing with many fellow associations and the only reason that both Zifa and the embassy have chipped in to assist is because we have an image to protect both as an association and as a country.
“Even the ambassador himself (Agrippa Mutambara) was worried and was trying to speak to the police to see if he can be released now that the money has been raised to pay the bill.
“But I still can’t understand how these supporters had already consumed drinks worth $362 within an hour and still continued ordering this and that.
“I think some of them were actually experimenting with some of the brands of whisky and ciders,” Munyati said.
In a domestic football family that has been heavily polarised by personality clashes and petty squabbles at the expense of the players and the development of the game, it is ironic that Zhakata and his crew who were claiming to be more transparent and passionate about the Warriors have started on a wrong footing and made fools of themselves.
Online Reporter