adminNkosilathi Sibanda
IF it was not for Lawrence Phiri, Highlanders FC would not have signed the late Rahman Gumbo.
It took Phiri’s persuasive skills to lure Gumbo to the Bulawayo giants, at a time when many teams were after the player’s signature.
Phiri, who at the time was manager at Highlanders, had got wind of Gumbo’s talent with the ball and he knew this was the type of player that would fit at the Bulawayo giants.
Gumbo was coming from Eagles. “I had the privilege of being manager of the late Rahman Gumbo. I am the one who signed him in the team as a player at Highlanders.
“When he came to Highlanders, it was me who had brought him in. It was on a day in 1987, when we, as Highlanders were going to Germany, it was called West Germany at the time,” said Phiri in an interview with Zimpapers Sports yesterday.
Phiri revealed that had he not signed Gumbo, Highlanders would have lost out as a number of teams were after his signature.
“We had got wind that there were teams from the Northern Region who wanted to give him a better offer and take him to Harare. Those teams had money and were willing to part with every dollar they had to have Rahman. Actually, they tried to poach him on the very day we were leaving for Germany. We got worried.
“So, there was no way we could leave Rahman behind as we knew that if we had left him, by the time we return we would not have found him,” he said.
The former Bosso manager said he was met with a serious decision to make that forced him to make a crude decision.
He had to drop one player to accommodate Rahman on the plane.
“So, we smuggled him up to Harare and made sure he was on the flight with us. Actually, we ‘abducted’ him in the sense that he left home with only his passport.
“The difficult thing for me was that I had to drop one player who had already packed his bags. I had to make that decision and unfortunately one player had to remain and we took Rahman with us,” said Phiri as he looked up to the heavens, seemingly touched on having to remember his first moment with the late Gumbo.
The player who was dropped from Germany trip was Amin Soma-Phiri.
From the Germany trip, Rahman was to stay a further six months off the field as there was a lot of controversy surrounding his clearance from his former handlers, according to Phiri.
“Eventually, he settled well and made friends with the likes of Willard Khumalo, Madinda Ndlovu, Titus Majola and Mercedes “Rambo” Sibanda.
He was one of the players that we sent on attachments to Denmark and Cyprus. I can attest that Rahman gave the best he had,” said Phiri.
The former Bosso boss ranked Rahman as one of the best there was in the Bosso camp.
“Among the former Highlanders players, Rahman featured very well as one of the best ever. He didn’t grow up at Highlanders as he came from Eagles. He was a disciplined utility player who could fit in any position. On the field, he gave his best in every situation.
“There is quite a lot that people will talk about but, the best you will hear is how good he was as a player, how excellent he was a coach and how committed he was in everything he did. It was not a surprise that he did well in the national team and in his exploits as a coach in Botswana and Malawi. I had the occasion of meeting him when I was in Botswana, where I must say we really connected a lot.”
Phiri said of all the players under his belt, Rahman proved to be the most jovial. He described him as an entertainer.
“Even when he was done with playing and had moved on as a coach, he was in touch with all the former players and administrators. Rahman kept everyone on their toes with laughter and stories of the past.
As we remember him, let us push our young players and would be coaches to emulate his good life in football. I will forever remember him,” said Phiri.
Online Reporter