Online Reporter
Fungai Muderere, Zimpapers Sports Hub
FORMER Warriors and CAPS United goalkeeper Energy Murambadoro, nicknamed “Gokwe,” is a towering presence between the posts. Off the pitch, however, he is soft-spoken, measured, and calm — a trait he now brings to Chicken Inn Football Club as the goalkeepers’ coach.
“I always seek to keep to myself,” Murambadoro said. “I’m an easy-going, free-spirited person. In our line of work, you should not let temper get the better of you. It’s about cultivating a positive mood, team spirit, and making sure everyone is on the same energy levels.”
At Chicken Inn, Murambadoro works with Donovan Bernard, Aaron Ngwenya, and new signing Prosper Matutu. “These are all talented and experienced goalkeepers. I always encourage them to compete against each other in good spirit. I can’t doubt Donovan, Arusha, and Matutu. Any coach would love to work with goalkeepers like these,” he said.
Born in Gokwe on June 27, 1982, Murambadoro rose from humble beginnings to become one of Zimbabwe’s finest goalkeepers. He won back-to-back league titles at CAPS United under coach Charles Mhlauri and was crowned Soccer Star of the Year before moving abroad.
His career took him to South Africa with Hellenic, Benoni United, Bidvest Wits, and a loan spell at Mpumalanga Black Aces. He also had a short stint in Israel with Bnei Sakhnin, featuring in Uefa Champions League qualifiers, before returning home to CAPS United and later joining AmaZulu, where he retired in May 2019 after a 16-year career. “I’m quitting football as a player so that I can focus on a different career challenge,” he said at the time.
Retirement did not take him far from the game. In 2020, he became Chicken Inn’s goalkeepers’ coach. In 2021, he briefly served as interim goalkeepers’ coach for the Warriors during the 2022 Fifa World Cup qualifiers, hand-picked by interim head coach Norman Mapeza.
For Murambadoro, whether it’s CAPS, the Warriors, or Chicken Inn, the philosophy remains unchanged: stay calm, build confidence, and give goalkeepers the mental edge they need to succeed.
