Homela speaks of his perceived football curse

GIBSON Homela has dismissed as false that he was cursed by a Gokwe n’ganga in his playing days.

For decades a story has been flying around that the football legend had a spell cast on him that would make him not achieve anything in the game despite his immense talent and intellect.

In an interview last Saturday at his 80th birthday, Homela opened up on the subject and dismissed it saying he went on to win silverware after the alleged curse.

Homela joined Zimbabwe Saints in 1963 from Fletcher High School alongside Aleck Mwanza and William Sibanda, one of the finest midfielders the country has ever had.

At that stage Homela was a free scoring left-footed striker whose career had started off at junior school in Lower Gweru before his father moved to Shurugwi.

“There is no curse it’s just that people don’t understand what was going on. The man was a familiar traditional healer. What happened is that we were going to play Mhangura. On Monday while having our training session, Tuesday and Wednesday, he was giving us some herbs and he said goodbye to us as he was travelling to Harare to fix things as an advance party,” said Homela of Hove, then the club ‘jujuman.’

“As players we kept quiet because there was nothing we could say. We didn’t see this person from Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday and then the players started questioning me about his whereabouts which I then responded by saying they may ask the elders.

“On Sunday around 2:30pm during pre-match formalities when the referee asked the players to come out of the tunnel for inspection, I heard Emmanuel Sibanda who was just behind me saying there is ‘your man’,” said Homela.

The former national team forward who later turned defender said the players were taken aback as Mhangura entered the field with Hove leading them.

“You could tell that from the talks that were going around that players had been affected, they were now tired and doubtful,” said Homela.

Saints lost the match 2-1.

“After the loss I thought we had just lost but when we got to the dressing room we saw the traditional healer who said the club elders were supposed to have paid him. I kicked him and he got up but was again kicked by Sibanda. He ran to the pitch and warned us that we were going to rue the day we assaulted him. Unfortunately or fortunately he is late,” said Homela.

After the incident Homela went on to win the Nyorenyore Cup, their first major silverware as Zimbabwe Saints in 1974 before the massive 1976 Chibuku Trophy triumph, a 4-0 win over Highlanders who had won the 1973 edition and reached the 1974 final.

Homela netted two goals after being flown to Harare for the match from the United Kingdom where he was studying.

His crowning moment was probably the 1977 season in which he was instrumental as Chikwata won the league and cup double in a team that had the likes of Andrew Kadengu, Musa Muzanenhamo, Isaac Banda, Steve Kwashi, the two Sibandas (William and Emmanuel).

Prior to this he had a Soccer Star of the Year appearance.

His run with success continued with a regional league title, a Castle Cup win in 1979 before his forced retirement at the age of 36 in 1982 but would be capped five years later after Zifa sent 10 infield players and two goalkeepers to the Cecafa tournament. Other players were to follow but the administration failed leaving the players to beg Homela to come in instead of Brenna Msiska who was the only substitute on the bench.

He was part of the Saints technical team when the club won the 1988 Chibuku Trophy and League title in 1988.

In 2000 he was Misheck Chidzambwa and Barry Daka’s technical advisor as Zimbabwe romped to victory in the then Castle Cosafa Cup final.

For years, he has been laughed at every time he gets a Warriors or club assignment with talk being that the team won’t succeed.

For decades he has churned out hundreds of coaches countrywide.