Mushangazhike credits regional tournaments for player success

FORMER AmaZulu, Dynamos and Kaizer Chiefs tearaway winger, Kelvin Mushangazhike says competitions across the age-groups gave Sadc budding stars the necessary breakthrough.

Mushangazhike who played for Zimbabwe at Under-17, 20, 23 and the Warriors yesterday said in an interview that he benefited from the exposure.

He said regional competitions gave many players the breakthroughs they needed hence many of them won professional contracts to play in the region and overseas.

Sadc countries play in tournaments organised by the Africa Union of Sports Council (AUSC Region Five) and other affiliate bodies like Cosafa, Cossasa and Cosana (netball).

Region Five is among regional bodies falling under Africa Union’s AUSC formerly the Supreme Council of Sports in Africa.
It has 16 member countries that every year fight it out for bragging rights in a number of regional club and national team tournaments drawn from many sporting disciplines.

“I played Under-17, 20, 23 and my first call up in the senior national team was in the Cosafa Castle Cup final against Zambia in 1998 under Bruce Grobbelaar and Mudhara Gibson Homela. However I did not make the final 18,” said Mushangazhike who boasts four silver and one bronze medal from the Cosafa age-group tournaments.

He praised the regional tournament for helping improve standards of the game and affording Member States a chance to gain international exposure.

“It was good exposure for the promising talent to experience international exposure,” said Mushangazhike.
Nicknamed “Keegan” because of his right-wing artistry, Mushangazhike said he was in the same Unde-17 team with the likes of former Highlanders stars Siza Khoza, Gift Lunga (Jnr) and Bekithemba Ndlovu, Hwange’s Aleck Nyoni, Dynamos’ Murape Murape, Darryn T’s Shingi Kawondera, Richard Chitumba and the late Caps United defender Silent Katumba.

He said the age-group events had seen him and his teammates play against a developing Gilberto and Flavio of Angola who would go on to star for multi Champions League winners Aly Ahly of Egypt, Zambian, Christopher Katongo and the legion of Matthew Booth, Lesley Manyatela, Junaid Hartley, Siyabonga Nomvethe.

“For instance South Africa’s Under-20s and 23s used tournaments such as the Sasol to gain exposure and eventually qualified for the 2000 Olympics. This shows that the Cosafa, which is the Sadc Region tournament has been essential in the development of the game,” said Mushangazhike.

He played for several teams in South Africa and is now one of the development coaches at Twin Phiri and Reuben and Noe’s TwinMat Sports Academy now based in Harare.
South Africa has qualified for the World Cup finals with talent mostly brewed in the regional tournaments.

Angola, Botswana, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe have represented the region in the Afcon and Chan finals.