adminPetros Kausiyo Deputy Sports Editor
ZIMBABWE international midfielder Ovidy Karuru is relishing the opportunity of making his Absa Premiership debut with Kaizer Chiefs and wants to use his time in the Super Diski to revive a professional career that had terribly gone off the rails in Belgium last year.
Karuru signed a three-year deal with Kaizer Chiefs earlier this week, with the lanky midfielder arriving from Belgian Second Division outfit OH Leuven.
The former Masvingo United and Gunners man becomes the latest in a string of Zimbabweans to join Amakhosi and revealed that he was also trying to persuade his Warriors teammate and friend Knowledge Musona to rejoin the Soweto giants.
Karuru will immediately link up with fellow Zimbabweans – strikers Matthew Rusike and Kingston Nkatha and fellow midfielder Willard Katsande.
Musona could also possibly join them should the talismanic forward make up his mind up about returning to Super Diski.
The 25-year-old Karuru was signed on the same day as Phakamani Mngadi, who has also previously played in Belgium.
Mngadi signed for the South African Glamour Boys on an 11-month loan with a buyout clause deal. Mngadi was born in Pietermaritzburg, spend time in Spain, Barcelona’s development side and graduated from Qatar’s Aspire Academy before he signed for K.A.S Eupen.
But it is Karuru, who also played for three seasons at French side US Boulogne, who has the biggest profile from among the players that Chiefs have so far unveiled ahead of the start of the season.
The first South African transfer window will close on August 31 which gives clubs more time to bring on new players although Chiefs are not likely to target more foreigners, having exhausted the bigger chunk of their quota with mostly Zimbabweans.
Although he has already signed for Chiefs after impressing the Soweto giants’ English coach Stuart Baxter during a trial stint, Karuru will not immediately see action when Amakhosi begin the 2014-15 season with the MTN8 Cup quarter-final fixture against Tinashe Nengomasha and Tendai Ndoro’s Mpumalanga Black Aces at FNB stadium tomorrow.
This is because Karuru is still to secure a work permit that will enable him to play in South Africa.
Yesterday The Herald Sport caught up with Karuru, who is back home to sort out documents necessary for his work permit.
The Warriors midfielder said his biggest relief was to be able to return to competitive action after enduring a frustrating seven-month stint on the sidelines in Belgium when he fell out of favour with the then coach of OH Leuven Ronny van Geneugden.
Despite returning to action towards the end of the Belgium season, Karuru could not do much to help Leuven from being relegated from the Jupiler Ligue but the Zimbabwean declined to stay on at the club and play in the Belgian second tier league.
Karuru said although he had received so offers to stay in Europe, he was not s happy with having to play in the Cyprus and Azerbaijan leagues.
The Warriors midfielder said he had put behind him the agony of the frustration he had endured in Belgium and now wants to shift his focus on trying to help Chiefs reclaim the Absa Premiership, which they surrendered to Mamelodi Sundowns after a tension chase that also involved Bidvest Wits last season.
“After seven months without playing it was difficult to stay on at the club. I know it’s not going to be easy where I am going now, I know that there will be competition, fierce competition at Chiefs to get a starting place but for now all I can say is that I am ready to play and I am ready to do my part for the club.’’
Karuru revealed that he also rated Chiefs highly and reckoned that it was better to play for them than some leagues and clubs in Europe.
“I think Chiefs have quality and the reception they gave me was very warm, I felt like I had been three for three years. Of course, it was even nicer to come to a place where your friends are, it is good to have them there but as Zimbabweans at Chiefs we all aware that we are there to work and we will always try to encourage each other’’.
Online Reporter