admin
Reinhard Fabisch, to herald the arrival of a fiery crop of Young Warriors who would later play a big part in the Dream Team.
Peter Ndlovu, the best player to emerge from that generation, was not part of the Young Warriors who represented their country in Cairo after his English Premiership side, Coventry City, decided to stick with their emerging star for domestic commitments.
But his brother Adam was in Cairo and, working in tandem with Sawu, Vitalis Takawira, Jani Milanzi and others, they topped their group, beating Egypt 3-2 after having taken a 3-0 lead at one stage in the game, and also beating Uganda 2-1.
Fabisch and his men, though, found their match in the semi-finals as Tunisia coasted to a 3-1 win over Zimbabwe, thanks to two gift goals awarded by Algerian referee Rashid Mogiba, and the German coach was so incensed with the refereeing he lost his cool.
Relegated to playing for a bronze medal, in the third-place play-off, the Young Warriors never recovered from the nightmare of their controversial defeat at the hands of Tunisia and slumped to a 0-3 defeat against Nigeria.
Fabisch was still seething with anger, over the way his team’s game against Tunisia had been handled, that he tore into the African football system when he returned to Zimbabwe with his Young Warriors.
He revealed that he was offered coaching jobs by two top Egyptian clubs, which he turned down, and the Tunisians had also come knocking on his door, through an agent.
“Because of Zimbabwe’s experience where we were badly cheated by referees, I found myself not able to work in such a system,” said Fabisch.
“I would like to see how many people can control themselves if someone is cheating.”
The Young Warriors didn’t have to wait long to get their revenge on the Tunisians as the two teams met again in the qualifiers for the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona.
Boosted by the addition of the irresistible Peter Ndlovu, the Young Warriors turned on one of the greatest performance by a Zimbabwean national team to score five past the Tunisians at Barbourfields and move into the next stage.
The era of the Dream Team had begun.
“After Zimbabwe’s match against Uganda and Egypt, I could see the prospects of coming back to (work in) Zimbabwe,” said Fabisch.
And, work, he did.
Now, 20 years down the line, another group of Young Warriors is using the All-Africa Games, to be held in Mozambique later this year, to herald the arrival of a group of footballers who can possibly make a big impact for this country.
Fabisch passed away last year, finally losing his battle against cancer, but his legacy lives on and although his Class of ’91 didn’t win a medal in Egypt, and his Dream Team didn’t qualify for either the Nations Cup or World Cup, they remain heroes among the local fans.
It’s possibly correct to say that the Dream Team, for all its frustrating tradition of collapsing at the final hurdle, remains more popular than the group of Warriors who qualified for the 2004 and 2006 Nations Cup finals.
It’s hard to find logic in how a team that failed in its mission, in both the Nations Cup and World Cup adventures, could be so popular it even dwarfs those that finally crossed the line and made it to the Nations Cup showcase.
Fabisch and his Dream Team came within 11 minutes of qualifying for the ’94 Nations Cup finals, until Kalusha Bwalya’s header flew past Bruce Grobbelaar at the National Sports Stadium and shattered a nation’s dreams, as the Zambians – reeling from the plane disaster in Gabon that wiped away a generation of their finest players – stole a point they needed to qualify.
But, even in the mist of tears, the Zimbabwean fans found pride in their Dream Team and that the Zambians, who needed that late goal to force a draw and qualify, went all the way to the final of the ’94 Nations Cup where they lost 1-2 to Nigeria, appeared to buttress the quality of Fabisch and his men, in the eyes of their supporters.
The Dream Team came within 90 minutes of qualifying for the ’94 World Cup, having eliminated Egypt along the way, and Fabisch and his merry band of Warriors arrived in Yaounde with a spring in their step for a winner-takes-all showdown against the Indomitable Lions and a ticket to the United States.
But it turned out to be Mission Impossible and, like Jose Mourinho after him, Fabisch saw a lot of conspiracy theories in the way his Warriors were beaten 1-3 that day, accusing Senegalese referee Fallah Ndoye of being bribed by the Cameroonians and receiving a one-year ban from all football activities for that outburst.
It effectively marked the beginning of the end of Fabisch as a successful coach, in the trenches of African national teams, and while he re-appeared at the 2008 Nations Cup, in charge of Benin, he was pale, looked old and tired, and the spark that had invigorated fans at the National Sports Stadium, was gone.
The Class of 2011 And The All-Africa Games
On Sunday Friday Phiri and his Young Warriors thrashed Botswana 4-1 at Rufaro, to complete a 6-3 aggregate win in their All-Africa Games qualifier, and book their date against South Africa’s Amaglug-glug for a place in Maputo.
There were a number of things that stood out from the Young Warriors’ performance.
Their refusal to be drowned in Botswana, even when the hosts appeared to be getting a helping hand from the referee, was a superb demonstration of a never-say-die attitude that teams need for success on the continent.
To their credit they emerged with a 2-2 draw and it could have been better had Denver Mukamba converted a gilt-edged chance after the lively Archford Gutu had split the Botswana defence following a good run down the middle.
Mukamba lost his cool after a poor refereeing decision, and was duly sent off, and I believe he has learnt his lessons the harsh way that there is a thin line that divides superstardom and being a villain and, when you live in the fast lane, you need to adhere to certain codes of good behaviour.
He is a superb player, who is certain to get better with time, and the fact that he is now playing in the pressure cooker of the Dynamos environment, week in and week out, is set to panelbeat him into a good player faster than would have been possible had he stayed at Kiglon or chosen to play for Blue Ribbon.
But if their performance in Botswana was all the more impressive because of its grit, their show in Harare caught the eye because of its artistry and that they were able to raise their game to those levels, even without
Mukamba and Gutu, was testimony of the quality that runs deep in the side.
Abbas Amidu used his chance well, with a good performance and a good goal, to underline his strong performance for Black Mambas in the Premiership that has gone largely unnoticed because his team has been losing matches.
Samba Sithole scored twice, taking his tally to three goals against Botswana, to also consolidate his reputation as arguably the best centre striker, among the crop of 20-year-olds, playing in the domestic Premiership and Division One leagues.
Matthew Rusike impressed with his direct approach, and scored a good goal to cap a fine day at the office, while the defensive line maintained its shape and the midfield was efficient on an afternoon where Botswana could have been hit by a rugby score.
This same Botswana team played Egypt, in the battle for the 2012 Olympic Games, and lost 0-2 in Cairo before winning 2-1 in Gaborone to crash out 2-3 on aggregate.
Any team that gives the Young Pharaohs a good run cannot be taken lightly and Botswana football, to its credit, has grown in leaps and bounds over the past few years and this feel-good factor is even filtering into the Young Zebras.
The Zebras, the country’s senior national team, has already qualified for its first Nations Cup finals in history, with two games to spare in the campaign, after recording back-to-back wins over Tunisia during the qualifiers.
That the Young Warriors made their assignment look so easy, in their contest against the Young Zebras, and showed that there was a considerable gap, in terms of quality, between the two teams, was a reflection of the raw talent that has always boomed in our junior football structures.
Having beaten Zambia and demolished Botswana, the Young Warriors now have to clear the South African hurdle and book their ticket in Mozambique and, on the basis of their last four matches, the locals appear to have a good chance of not only playing in Maputo but making a big impression there.
But that can wait for the future.
I don’t believe that the current Young Warriors can be compared to the Class of ’91 for the obvious reasons that they don’t have a jewel, in the pack, like Peter Ndlovu who, as we saw in that game against Tunisia at
Barbourfields, could destroy the opponents single-handedly with his class.
By the time Fabisch and his Young Warriors arrived in Egypt, Sawu – their leading goal-scorer – was already playing in Cyprus although he came back home and, in 1993 played brilliantly for both Zimbabwe Saints and the Dream Team, he won the Soccer Star of the Year during the years of innocence for the award when it was still given on merit.
Peter was already at Coventry City and soon Adam would move to Switzerland, and so would Benjamin Nkonjera, that tough defensive midfielder on whose deceiving little frame Fabisch would later build the defensive strength of his midfield in the Dream Team.
Silver Chigwenje, who played central defence in that team, had already established himself at CAPS United and would soon become the Green Machine’s captain, as the team waved goodbye to an era dominated by Joel Shambo and opened a new chapter in the ‘90s, with his leadership qualities shining brightly.
Nesbert Saruchera was not a natural talent and what he lacked in the gifts from the football gods, he had certainly made up for it with his hard work and he turned himself into a no-nonsense defender, famously described by the late Sunday Mail Sports Editor Tinaye Garande, as “The Good, The Bad And The Ugly.”
I had known Jani Milanzi from my days in the compounds of Chakari, given that he was a star at Lulu Rovers in Chegutu, but I have always felt that the real superstar in that Lulu team, and probably the little town’s best player, somehow never found that prominence and his talents were lost to this nation.
His name was Yusuf Sabiti and, 20 years into this job, I have struggled to find a better playmaker, in the domestic Premiership, to that diminutive golden boy who, unfortunately, never made it into the big time and became a wasted talent.
One of the many we have lost.
The Young Warriors’ Class of 2011 looks lightweight, in terms of quality when compared to Fabisch’s Fabulous Class of ’91, but – with Knowledge Musona, Ovidy Karuru, Khama Billiart and Tafadzwa Rusike – all part of the bigger family of this team, there is value in the arguments that this could be the best of the lot that has come since the turn of the millennium.
Wieslaw Grabowski and his troops, spearheaded by Alois Bunjira, Stewart Murisa, Morgan Nkathazo and Edelbert Dinha, reached the final of the ’95 All-Africa Games, on home soil, and lost 0-2 to Egypt before they came within 90 minutes of qualifying for the ’96 Olympic Games in Atlanta.
They lost to a very strong Nigerian team, which had a certain Nwanko Kanu leading its attack, in the final qualifying round and that the West Africans went all the way to winning the football tournament in Atlanta, put the quality of the Young Warriors’ team that we had then into its real perspective.
Dutchman Clemens Westerhof built his Under-23 team just before the turn of the millennium, whose attack was spearheaded by Benjani Mwaruwari, and they also came within 90 minutes of qualifying for the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney after famously beating the Nigerians at the National Sports Stadium.
Sadly, as is always the case in West Africa, the playing field was tilted in that decisive match in Lagos and, amid the confusion, our Young Warriors were soundly beaten 0-4, the minimum result that the Nigerians needed, so they could squeeze into the Olympic Games in Sydney.
Drafting Musona, Karuru, Billiart And Rusike
Given that we have won very little, save for the odd Cosafa Senior Challenge Cup, there is always a tendency for us to try and go for it and get the best possible team that can bring a promise for a possible success story.
It was the same story in 1991 when we tried, and failed, to get Peter Ndlovu to leave Coventry City and come and play for the Young Warriors in the All-Africa Games in Egypt.
It was the same story when used to fly Peter Ndlovu back home, sometimes arriving just three hours before the match, so that he could play for the Warriors in our quest to win the Cosafa Cup when others were fielding their development sides.
We had an opportunity, earlier this year, to send our Young Warriors as our representative senior national team to the Chan finals in Sudan, which would have helped their development programme, and would also have boosted their preparations for their All-Africa Games qualifiers.
But when the opportunity presented itself, we withdrew into our shell, and – pushed by our hunger for medals and success stories in a game that has achieved very little – we sent Madinda and the best players he could get from the domestic Premiership.
In contrast the South Africans seized the moment, and the golden opportunity presented by the competition, and sent a developmental side that was made up from players from the Division Two leagues where a team called Baroka FC, remember them, plays their football.
The irony of it is that this developmental South African side, which arrived in Sudan with nothing to lose, managed to beat the cream from our domestic Premiership 2-1 and qualified for the semi-finals while we returned home, after another failure at the first hurdle, empty handed.
If we had sent the Young Warriors, and they had lost at that stage of the competition, it wouldn’t have mattered because the thrust of the project, from the word go, was to try and expose the boys to the challenges found at such competitions and also give them more game time to help them gel into a unit.
We would have returned home having crashed out in the first round, fine, but then rich in experience rightly invested in a group of players in whose feet and football brains we were investing our future as a nation in the hope that in a year or two, they will develop as a unit, and will be tough to beat.
Chan would have turned into our 2011 version of Egypt ’91, where Fabisch and his Warriors went, gained a lot in terms of their mental toughness given all the crazy decisions that kept going against them, gained a lot in confidence from beating Egypt and gelled into a strong unit from the bond they found while fighting for the cause of their motherland in such a hostile environment.
Simba Sithole went to Sudan but never played one game because our thrust was to try and win the tournament, given that we are a success-starved nation, and we were more concerned with the possible immediate gains rather than the profits that could come in the long-term.
So we fielded Norman Maroto, because he had the experience, and he scored the fastest goal at the Chan finals in that game against South Africa, but isn’t it sad that we might not see him featuring again in the context of services for his motherland when it comes to the national teams?
Poor Simba Sithole, the 20-year-old striker who could be a big part of the future, could not get any game time when it was just the right opportunity, and the correct stage, which was needed to help him in his development.
And you can’t blame Madinda Ndlovu for that because he was also under intense pressure, from a football community that wanted him to win the Chan tournament, and in our misplaced priorities, lay our shortcomings, and we blew away a golden opportunity to develop a group of players we will need in the future.
That is why I believe we shouldn’t be repeating the same mistakes year in and year out.
And that’s the reason I feel it is wrong for us to draft Musona, Rusike, Karuru and Khamaldinho into the Young Warriors ahead of their showdown against South Africa in the final qualifying round of the All-Africa Games.
Why have we become suddenly desperate?
Is it because we are facing South Africa?
What do we gain from bringing in Musona into this team?
A goal or two and a win over South Africa and a ticket to the All-Africa Games in Maputo in September WHERE HE WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO REPRESENT US BECAUSE OF HIS COMMITMENTS WITH
KAIZER CHIEFS.
What do we gain from bringing in Karuru into this team?
A real punch in midfield of course, and the possibility of beating South Africa, and a ticket to Maputo but we have to live with the reality that, given the All-Africa Games are in September, HE WILL NOT BE
RELEASED BY HIS FRENCH CLUB TO COME AND PLAY IN A TOURNAMENT THAT IS NOT PART OF THE FIFA CALENDAR.
What do we gain from bringing Khamaldinho into this team?
Of course, added life in midfield and the possibility of more goals coming from a player who likes to operate coming in from the deep and who has shown, in his debut season in Super Diski, that he is really special.
So he will help us beat South Africa and we will qualify for the Games in Maputo but we have to live with the reality that he won’t be there, when the real deal starts, because HE WILL NOT BE RELEASED BY HIS SUPER DISKI CLUB FOR A TOURNAMENT THAT IS NOT PART OF THE FIFA CALENDAR.
It’s good to qualify for the All-Africa Games, otherwise there was no reason to enter the tournament in the first place, but do we need to disturb the team that has been playing all along, just for this one game, simply because we need to be so strong against South Africa?
What if we disturb the team that has been playing all along, with the addition of these four players who are clearly guaranteed starting places, and we still lose against South Africa, what would we have achieved?
So what are our development priorities?
Musona has already established himself in the Warriors, scored away in Liberia, and if we have already psyched him into understanding that he is our main man, for goals, in the real big battles like the Nations Cup and World Cup qualifiers, why then do we need to push him down the ladder into the company of players trying to make an impression?
Why do we need to sacrifice Simba Sithole, who has been doing the job all along, and who stands to benefit the most from playing the two games against South Africa, simply because we now have to find a place for Musona in a team that is now smaller than the shoe size of the Smiling Assassin?
Why do we need to sacrifice Matthew Rusike or any of the forwards, simply because we are bringing in four other established players, when it is clear that it’s Rusike who needs the game time, in the colours of the Young Warriors, as he tries to battle his way to reach the standards already set by Musona, Khamaldinho and Karuru?
Why do we need to close the door on Abbas Amidu, now that we are bringing in Tafadzwa Rusike, when it is clear that the Black Mambas winger has more to gain from playing against South Africa, in the colours of the Young warriors, as he tries to battle his way to reach the standards set by Musona, Khamaldinho and Karuru?
Musona impressed the Kaizer Chiefs’ scouts because he was given his chance to play in the Young Warriors and, in one game in South Africa, he came from the substitutes’ bench and scored a second half hattrick that sealed his deal.
Without that chance, Musona would not have got his breakthrough.
Karuru was given his chance after impressing scouts who came for the Chan finals in Cote d’Ivoire in 2009 who also wanted to take Phillip Marufu until they realised that he was on the wrong side of twenty and, given that he was a forward who thrived on pace, there was very little left in him for them to bank a future in his signature.
Abbas, Sithole, Devon Chafa and all the Young Warriors who played against Botswana on Sunday, deserve their chance and, whether we like it or not, a game against South Africa comes with preying eyes looking for that new crop of Zimbabweans who could be making the breakthrough.
These boys have worked very hard to get to where they are right now, traveling by road to Zambia and Botswana, staying at the Zifa Village until a Good Samaritan came along and took them to Holiday Inn, training for shorter periods because of the big cash squeeze in the association and going for months without being paid for their services.
They have sacrificed a lot because they know that it’s the bigger picture that matters and going on strike, just because their appearance fees or allowances had not yet been paid, will be wasting time on petty issues when they are on the verge of a breakthrough, in their careers, if they concentrate on their football.
They have come this far because they have put football ahead of everything else, they have put their country ahead of everything else, they have put their careers ahead of everything else, they have respected their fans and respected the cause they are fighting for and, against Botswana on Sunday, they were simply awesome.
Let’s give them the chance to finish the job and, even if they lose against South Africa, so what because chances are that they could have even have lost a long time ago against Zambia or against Botswana.
We already know what Musona and Karuru can do and we want them for the bigger battles and one of them is coming in just four weeks time when we host Mali at home in a 2012 Nations Cup qualifier that we have to win at all cost.
What we need to see is how Simba Sithole and Abbas Amidu can develop and tournaments like the All-Africa Games are the right ones to panelbeat them and, if they win, as has been the case so far, the better.
Football didn’t die in Zambia simply because they lost an All-Africa Games qualifier against us and, if you ask anyone who is neutral, their football is in better shape than ours, their league has sponsors and is on
SuperSport and their national team is sponsored by Nike and is better ranked than us.
Football didn’t die in Botswana simply because they lost an All-Africa Games qualifier against us and, just to remind you, we might have humiliated their Under-23s but their senior team is already going to the 2012
Nations Cup finals while our fate is clearly not in our hands and we might need a lot to go for us.
Football won’t die in Zimbabwe if we are knocked out by South Africa from the All-Africa Games but we would have given Simba Sithole a chance to progress further, and that’s good for the long-term benefits of this country, and we would have given Abbas Amidu a chance to learn more in the trenches.
Think about these boys, where they have come from, where they are going and you will see that it’s better to let them finish the job and, if they do that, the better, and if they fail, then we can see where we are coming short.
A Genius Called Gutu
It’s hard not to fall in love with Archford Gutu’s artistry, if you are a real football guy, because his brilliance tends to cut across barriers that separate us as supporters of this and that football club.
Watching him play every week, is turning into a privilege because he is a rare throwback to the bygone era when midfielders dictated the tempo of the games with their touches of class and their vision.
You feel the levels of expectations rise among the Dynamos fans, every time that he touches the ball, and it’s usually a full package – good control, being comfortable with the ball, vision, the ability to spray good passes and cut defences and, crucially, his runs off the ball.
I have always believed in Gutu’s talent and I knew Ajax Cape Town were not fools to decide to invest in him until the deal was derailed, of course, by complications over his age and, given that his passport then showed he was a minor, he couldn’t sign for the club.
But every time I watch him, I’m seeing something new to his game, something exciting, and as he settles into his role where he knows he is the creative hub that should make Dynamos tick, he seems to be getting better and better.
On Monday at Rufaro, Gutu was simply irresistible and he must have left Masvingo United, who arrived with an unbeaten record, wondering whether they had been playing in the wrong league – as they went about avoiding defeats in their five matches leading to the trip into the capital – until now.
Maybe I’m the only one who believes in this but every time that I watch Gutu in action, especially his ball control and his vision, I’m getting the impression that he might just be the playmaker that we have been looking for in the Warriors.
Of course, he is different from Ronald Sibanda in that Gidiza could wave his magic while being static, such was his talent, while Gutu is mobile, has a bit of pace that he doesn’t use very much and, crucially, gets into promising positions when the team is attacking he becomes part of the strikers.
He doesn’t smile a lot and he is not as talkative on the field as David Kutyauripo and you always feel he is weighed down by something, which might be related to losing both is parents when he was still young, and he would rather let his football, rather than his mouth, do the talking.
And, well, he is doing a good job of that.
His Facebook page is always full of messages from a growing band of fans who believe that he is destined for greatness and, all the time, he takes every opportunity to thank those who encourage him to keep his focus.
Rahman Kutsanzira, the Bosso winger, has caught my eye in recent weeks, Mukamba is fine, Sithole has the raw killer instinct that a team can bank on for goals but, if you ask me, it’s the boy Gutu who is the real class.
Time will tell and prove me either wrong or right.
The Hell Classico Ends At Camp Nou
So Barcelona are through to the Champions League final and Jose Mourinho, the Special One, found his match – for once – and the Portuguese coach will spend the summer a little bit uncomfortable than he might have imagined.
Make no mistake about it, he was brought to win big things and, given the huge amounts Real Madrid spent on players, they expected his special touch to bring them the Champions League or, if they fail in that venture, the La Liga title.
We all know that Barca proved a hurdle on both fronts and, while I agree with Jose that the referees appear to give Pep’s men the benefit of doubt, and a crucial advantage, I believe the Special One lost it with his negative tactics at home.
In that match he sacrificised the world’s most expensive player, deadly on the ground and in the air, for an ultra-defensive game that reduced Ronaldo’s influence while Barca gave Messi the freedom of the city to operate.
Jose’s tactics had worked in the Copa del Rey but such negativity can only win you games, once in a while, kwatinoti kujuma pa chiShona, and – in the majority of cases – class will always prevail.
Yes, the game was goalless until Pepe was sent off but Real were living on borrowed time and, because of the nature of their dirty approach, it was inevitable that one of those employed to stop others from playing would be sent off.
When Real had a little bit of freedom at the Camp Nou, they looked dangerous and if that horrible Belgian referee had not disallowed a good goal by Higuain, with the score goalless, it would have turned into a classic game.
But Jose went overboard with his criticism of Barcelona and insinuations that they only win because the referees favour them, because they spread the Unicef message and because they have friends in key Uefa positions.
Real were always the underdogs because they are predictable and you always feel that the final move will end with a pass to Ronaldo.
Barca had options, just in case Messi was double or triple-teamed, and the pass by Iniesta, to release Pedro for the first goal, showed the lethal options they have in their ranks.
But they can be beaten, make no mistake about that, and you always feel that when everyone in the world has failed, it can only be Manchester United who can do it and we can’t wait for Wembley.
That’s where it all started for us with our first victory in ’68.
That’s where it all started for Barca with their first victory in ’92. Now we both go back to Wembley looking for European title number 4.
Tomorrow it’s certain to be league title number 19. A record for the Premiership.
When everyone fails, it can only be United who can do it, and you can feel it that the Liverpool domestic dynasty is about to end.
Come on United!
Chicharitooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Text Feedback – (International – +263772545199; Local – 0772545199)
Email – [email protected]
You can also interact with Robson Sharuko on Facebook and Twitter.
Online Reporter