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Langton Nyakwenda
PORTUGUESE coach Jose Mourinho worked with long-time lieutenant Rui Faria for 17 years, in what became one of the best manager-assistant manager combinations in world football.
The duo won the UEFA Champions League title at FC Porto, Chelsea and Inter Milan.
They, however, parted ways in 2018, when Mourinho joined Manchester United.
The Jurgen Klopp and Zeljko Buvac long working relationship was also highly successful. The pair worked together at Mainz, Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool from 2001 to 2018, before Buvac — affectionately known as “The Brain” — abruptly quit The Reds.
And for 16 years, between 1996 and 2012, Arsene Wenger worked with Pat Rice at Arsenal.
Their combination helped the Gunners bag three Premier League titles.
Locally, there have also been a number of notable coach-assistant combinations.
The famous Kalisto Pasuwa and Lloyd Mutasa partnership started at Sporting Lions at the turn of the millennium and ran until 2011, when Pasuwa succeeded Mutasa at Dynamos.
Norman Mapeza and Daniel Veremu have similarly established a perfect working combination at four-time Premiership champions FC Platinum.
The legendary Sunday “Mhofu” Chidzambwa usually trusted Rahman Gumbo most of the times he got the national team job.
However, there is no doubt Joey “Mafero” Antipas and Prince Matore’s working relationship has been one of the longest in the domestic Premiership.
Antipas coached Matore at Motor Action, before the latter retired in 2007 to take up the assistant coach’s role at the now-defunct Mighty Bulls.
The former Zimbabwe coach left Motor Action in 2008 but the duo reunited in 2009, when Antipas bounced back.
Since then, the Antipas-Matore combination has thrived for years, except for six months in 2013, when Antipas left Motor Action for Chicken Inn.
But Matore soon followed him in January 2014.
The duo won two Castle Lager Premier Soccer League titles with Motor Action (2010) and Chicken Inn (2015).
They led both teams in the CAF Champions League and also kept their relationship intact when Antipas migrated to South Africa, where he was appointed AmaZulu coach in May 2016.
Antipas and Matore returned to Chicken Inn in January 2018.
However, in January this year, Antipas was reassigned to the post of club technical director, while Matore was appointed coach.
“So far so good. Taking over and becoming the coach was not that difficult because Antipas is still there as an adviser.
“Antipas has been the mentor, the father and everything,” says Matore.
In his new role, he has taken charge of 12 Premiership games, managing five wins, six draws and one loss.
The Gamecocks are third on the log with 21 points, two behind log leaders Ngezi Platinum Stars.
Matore has managed a 58 percent success rate and his team were the in-form side with four wins in five matches when the PSL programme was halted on June 7.
After a slow start, during which they recorded six draws in seven games, the Gamecocks upped the tempo and won three consecutive games without conceding. They beat Ngezi Platinum Stars 2-0, walloped ZPC Kariba 3-0 before edging struggling Black Rhinos 1-0.
“What is important for us is to always stay near the top,” Matore said.
Just like his mentor Antipas, he also prefers a position in which he is the hunter and not the hunted.
The 51-year-old coach is, however, predicting a season of surprises.
“It looks like everyone has prepared well.
“Almost everyone is showing intentions of clinching the title.
“Anyone who does well will grab it but at the moment, you can’t say this team will take it.”
He attributes the stiff competition in the league to the effort teams are putting in their preparations.
“It’s exciting, everyone is working hard, which is good for the league, and it’s a good sign.
“If you look at the table, the top team has 23 points and the team near the bottom is probably nine or 10 points behind the log leaders.”
Chicken Inn lost some key players in the off-season, including star midfielder Brett Amidu, and were also hit by several injuries at the beginning of the season.
The trio of former skipper Moses Jackson, Guide Goddard and Passmore Bernard also left the club, alongside winger Malvin Gaki and second-choice goalkeeper Samuel Mafukidze.
“We had about six injured players when we started the season, but slowly we started coming back; the team started doing better.
“The good thing is that when we had injuries, we were drawing and not losing, so when we started picking up maximum points, it got us closer to the top,” he said.
“But there are more tough games ahead and what’s important is for everyone to work hard.”
Some of the new players at Chicken Inn are the ex-Bulawayo City trio of Genius Mutungamiri, Mpumelelo Bhebhe and Dominic Jaricha.
Calum English-Brown also joined the Gamecocks from Legends Football Academy but the highly rated midfielder has been dogged by injuries.
The Gamecocks have retained the core of the side that finished as runners-up, and these include consistent goalkeeper Donovan Bernard, Richard Hachiro, Clive Dzingayi, Nelson Ketala and last season’s top scorer Brian Muza.
Speed merchant Michael Charamba — the club’s leading scorer so far with four goals — also remains a key player.
“We have got a competitive squad, we just need to remain focused,” said Matore.
The former Darryn T and Black Aces defender says he has learnt a lot along the way.
His stint in Poland, where he played for Radomiak, was also an eye-opener.
“I went through the mill, from Level 1 up to the CAF A badge. I had to follow all the steps and, in all this, I kept learning new things.” He attributes his success to Antipas.
“From day one, Antipas has been a father figure.
“At Motor Action, I was his captain and through my discipline, I earned his trust.”
That trust kept them together for 13 years in the dugout until early this year, when Matore emerged from the shadows of his mentor.
■ Twitter: @LangtonGuraz
Online Reporter