marble nkomo
Stanford Chiwanga, [email protected]
HIGHLANDERS have Mgijimi, Mfundisi and Lo Referee weBosso. Dynamos have Romario. MWOS have Ogege. Scottland have Che Mhofela and Boban. And Chicken Inn . . . have always had McCloud.
Or rather, still have him.
Because despite whispers, misunderstandings and the swirling noise of a story that travelled faster than truth, Chicken Inn have come out with a message as firm as it is heartfelt: “He is one of us, he remains one of us and a Gamecock.”
Every club has its heartbeat, its terrace soul, and its walking embodiment of loyalty. For the GameCocks, that heartbeat has always been McCloud — the fan who has been more than a fan, the man who wore the club’s colours when Chicken Inn were still a weekend social side kicking up dust across Bulawayo’s grounds. From the early days of dreaming big to the glory of the 2015 championship, he was there, the ever-present echo of the club’s beginnings.
And now, rather than turning away from that history, Chicken Inn are embracing it openly. The club’s clarifying message makes one thing abundantly clear: whatever temporary confusion may have emerged in the midst of operational changes, the bond between McCloud and the GameCocks remains unbroken.
The club is evolving, yes — modernising, professionalising, tightening structures as football demands — but its soul still recognises the pillars that helped build it.
The arrival of a new technical team under Tonderai Ndiraya brought changes framed around professionalism. Standardising travel protocols and limiting access to the team bus were sensible adjustments, the sort made at clubs worldwide. But they were never intended to diminish the place of long-standing figures who shaped the club’s identity. Chicken Inn’s statement makes that distinction beautifully clear.
McCloud, after all, was never just a face in the crowd or an extra body on a bus. He was — and still is — woven into Chicken Inn’s fabric. He has stood with them through losses, triumphs, sunshine and downpours. He has carried the club in his heart long before it had a stadium to call home or a league title to raise. And nothing about a procedural change alters that legacy.
So today, as the GameCocks march forward, restructuring for a competitive future, they do so with respect for the past. Their reassurance is not simply a line — it is an acknowledgement of heritage. It is a reminder that football clubs are built on people as much as on tactics and talent.
McCloud will be at Barbourfields Stadium today. He will cheer as he always has. He will sing, clap and dance the way he has done for decades. And this time, he does so knowing that the club has publicly reaffirmed what anyone who has followed Chicken Inn’s journey already knew: he is part of the family, part of the story, part of the crest.
Chicken Inn may refine their systems, build a new image, and strive for higher levels of professionalism — but in doing so, they have chosen not to erase their history. Instead, they have honoured it.
Because loyalty like McCloud’s is rare.
And clubs that recognise and protect such loyalty do not lose their soul — they strengthen it.
McCloud is one of them. He remains one of them. He remains a Gamecock.
Online Reporter