Online Reporter
Sharuko On Saturday
THERE was a time when Lovemore Banda was the face of the sports segment of the main news bulletin on ZTV.
You can call it the back page of that news bulletin.
After all, it comes at the very end, shortly before 9pm, and then hands over to the weather report to close the show.
Every night, Banda would come on the show, with his refreshing package of literature, poetry, whatever you call it, and he would dish it out with both authority and clarity.
He was good, absolutely good, and we used to wait just to hear him rumble on and provide both colour and beauty to what he was reporting about.
Remember when the Muteji twins used to play for Chapungu, and they scored in the same game, and there was Banda telling us: “Muteji and Muteji, it’s not a law firm, but the names of the twins who were on target for Chapungu this afternoon.”
Vintage Banda!
One night, Banda told us that the Warriors and their expatriate coaches were just a fantasy tale, whose characters change here and there, but in the end, the conclusion is the same – FAILURE!
Banda has since moved from being a TV sports news anchor to become one of the leading administrators at Zimbabwe Cricket, a job which has taken him around the globe, including to the World Cup stages, where football couldn’t take him.
But, he remains a football man.
And, on the occasions when he is not away from home on cricket duty, he always finds time to drop in at Rufaro and watch the beautiful game and go through the motions of everything that it throws at us.
This week, his prophetic words that the more things appear to change at the Warriors, the more they stay the same, came to pass once again.
Mario Marinica, who was appointed Warriors coach just five months ago, quit his post, others say he was pushed out, but whatever the case, what’s not in dispute is that he is no longer our senior national team coach.
And, just like many of the foreign coaches who have been handed the responsibility of coaching the Warriors over the years, Mario leaves after a failed mission.
What’s disappointing about it is that it was predictable that he would fail.
Science clearly told us that he was on a doomed path, statistics showed us that he did not have the skills to succeed, history told us that the romance was going to end prematurely.
And, that’s exactly what happened.
That’s what happened to him in Malawi, when the Football Association of Malawi sent him on mandatory leave, pending the expiry of his contract, after it became clear that his mission had failed.
That’s what happened to him in Liberia, when the two parties agreed to end their romance, after a nightmarish campaign in the 2025 AFCON campaign, in which the Lone Star were hopeless.
For some of us, that is what was always going to happen to him here because, with all due respect, our football ambitions, as a nation, are bigger than those of Malawi and Liberia who, after George Weah, have been so ordinary it’s hard to believe they used to have such a superstar in their fold.
And, this is exactly what happened, just five months after Mario’s arrival.
This is my letter to coach Mario.
MY LETTER TO COACH MARIO
Over three decades in this profession, I have learnt to trust my instincts, it doesn’t mean that my gut feelings are always correct, but more often than not, they are always spot on.
I questioned your appointment because I felt that you were quite a lightweight, in my little book you are just an overrated and upgraded European version of Saul Chaminuka, and I thought you were going to struggle to add any value to the Warriors.
This wasn’t fuelled by pessimism, but science, which appears to be your favourite subject.
Science told me that you would be turning 61, just a month after your appointment, the very month that you were going to take charge of the Warriors, for the first time, at the 2025 AFCON finals.
Your history showed me that the main highlight of your coaching career on the continent was beating Zimbabwe at the 2021 AFCON finals, and taking the Flames of Malawi to the knockout stage.
A 61-year-old coach, whose main highlight is edging the Warriors 2-1 at the AFCON finals, doesn’t appeal to me as someone who we needed to turn to for technical and tactical guidance, when it came to trying to improve the Warriors.
Interestingly, you were not even on the Flames bench that day.
Your assistant, Meck Mwase, was in charge of the team because you were in isolation at the team’s hotel after you had contracted the Covid-19 virus.
So, as far as I was concerned, there was something wrong with investing in a coach whose main highlight, in his coaching history on the continent, was a win over Zimbabwe, orchestrated via Bluetooth, somewhere in Cameroon.
For me that was a red flag.
But, I don’t make the appointments.
There was also something wrong, for me, in appointing a coach who had never guided a team to the AFCON finals and who, on the two occasions he had a go at it, ended up failing miserably.
You did not take the Flames to the 2021 AFCON finals.
By the time you were recruited as technical director by the Malawi Football Association, in November 2021, the Flames were already preparing for that year’s AFCON finals in Cameroon.
Then, the FAM leaders had a change of heart and appointed you to lead the team at the AFCON finals where you wrote the story which those who back you, as a good coach, always turn to for reference.
What they conveniently forget is that it was just a win over Zimbabwe, the same Zimbabwe which beat Guinea, the same Guinea which beat Malawi, which gave you the story they cling to as reference of your competence as a coach.
Yes, you drew against Senegal, the same Senegalese who needed a penalty in the eighth minute of added time for a 1-0 win over Zimbabwe and, yes, you took Malawi into the knockout stages.
But, the difference between Malawi and Zimbabwe was just a point and whether that can be used as a sign of the better competence of the coach, in charge of the Flames compared to the one in charge of the Warriors, is something I doubt.
For goodness sake, the coach who was guiding Tanzania at the last AFCON finals needed just two points to take the team to the knockout stages.
GOODBYE MARIO, GOOD LUCK MATE
The Flames side at the 2021 AFCON finals was Meck Mwase’s team.
For me, your real competence as a coach was always going to be seen in the 2023 AFCON qualifiers – this was the real stuff, the real job not being given a baton to complete the relay at the finishing line.
Predictably, you failed badly and, after conceding six goals, including a 0-4 humiliation at home against Egypt, and scoring none in back-to-back games held over just four days, the die was cast and you were gone.
It didn’t help that in the wake of that pounding at home, at the hands of the Pharaohs, you decided to blame the fans, accusing them of supporting Mohamed Salah and his colleagues, instead of supporting their heroes.
“When the players came out, and you have a home hero like Gabadinho (Mhango), the fans didn’t cheer. They cheered for Mo Salah and the others,” you told the media.
What you didn’t tell the media was that this was a protest by the fans, who were fed up with the poor results in these qualifiers, and once you lost their support, the FAM leaders had no choice but to sack you.
The Liberia football leaders hired you, which wasn’t a surprise for me, because you are at the very same level.
The task was that you should help them qualify for the 2025 AFCON finals but after six games, one win and a draw and four losses, it was over for you and the West Africans, another adventure wrapped in failure.
ZIFA came calling and you were thrown into the deep end and, for the second time in your career, you were taking charge of a country at the AFCON finals by default, without having led the qualifying campaign.
Three games, one draw, two losses, and a belief in Romanian witchcraft, disguised as science, which told you that Tawanda Maswanhise, a player so good he has been shortlisted for the Player of the Season in Scotland, was not good enough for our first XI, meant the mission was a failure.
You were just a divisive and evil character Mario, your treatment of Marshall Munetsi will haunt you and, ultimately, it ensured that, just like in Malawi and Liberia, your time here ended prematurely.
For me, it’s statistics, which matter.
Your record in Malawi, Liberia and Zimbabwe in the AFCON games, which is our realistic target, reads 17 games played, just three won, five drawn and nine lost.
But, cheer up Mario, you are not walking alone.
We have a record of hiring European misfits as national team coaches.
And, in the last six years, we have had three coaches from Europe and all they have delivered are three wins against two opponents – Botswana (twice) and Namibia – in competitive games.
Good luck in your next mission.
To God Be The Glory
Peace to the GEPA Chief, the Big Fish, George Norton, Daily Service, Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse and all the Chakariboys still in the struggle.
Come on Warriors!!!!!!!!!!!!
Antoniooooooooooooo!
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Now you are taliking stories, but when you employed that mario guy you werebragging about, saying he is an expect, hee, what what, you see, like myself I said, and if you are to keep some of these comment that we write, you will see my comment, Zimbabwaens are too THEORATIC, this is the same as what is happening at Highlanders, i have written several times, that Mwaruwari guy is just something else, he is going to do the same as this Mario guy, they know nothing, but talking only, we need coaches that talk football, Practically, not THEORATICAlLY, we dont care about all those traced history, kutauris, apa hapana zvinoziikanweba, thats why I always ask this question, WHY is it that our international players play well outside when they come here its like they have never kicked a ball, most of them they end up coming back with nothing look at the musonas, the billiarts/biliard, kunga wanoseenzese mushonga, what is it??????? same as those playing local football, they are best when playing locally, take them out, itsthe same, its totally different with the likes Peter, anana mkoma Moses, just to mention a few waiziye bhora…