Shutto faces his moment of truth

Sports Reporter

SEVEN years ago, Stewart Murisa brought the curtain down on a career spanning more than two decades with a double strike in his final league match as a footballer.

He was in the colours of Lake Harvest, a Kariba side he coached, and played for.

The match, against Gunners, who later became Yadah Stars, ended in a 2-2 draw and was the final game of the ZIFA Northern Region Division One season.

For good measure, Gunners even fielded their owner, Prophet Walter Magaya, and, as fate would have it, he scored the last-gasp equaliser.

But, all eyes were on Shutto.

And, 19 years to the year he played a starring role in helping CAPS United win their first league championship, in the era of Independence, he called time on his illustrious playing career, on that day.

He was crowned Soccer Star of the Year that season with CAPS United’s success story in 1996 also marking the last time, in which a club that was directly owned by a company, were crowned champions of Zimbabwean football.

By the time the Green Machine won the league championship again, in 2004 and 2005, they had long been weaned from the direct ownership of their pharmaceutical fathers and were in the hands of businessman Twine Phiri.

And, as fate would have it, Chicken Inn, a club with roots in the corporate world, were crowned champions of the domestic Premiership in 2015, when Shutto said goodbye.

“I’m done with playing and it was good to score in my last competitive game,” said Murisa, the Lake Harvest player/coach, who managed to keep his team in Division One.

“I’m happy to have managed to keep the team in the league despite all the challenges that we faced. 

“We had our financial challenges but even though times were hard for us, l chose not to desert the team.

“I pay tribute to my boys for the way they kept going even when times were tough.” 

Seven years later, this weekend, Shutto will mark his first job, as the sole substantive coach of a club in the top two leagues in the country, in the same Division One league, where he played his final game.

He is set for his debut match as head coach of Banket United.

While his appointment, to replace Paul “Popopo” Chimalizeni, came about a month ago, he had to endure a long wait for action, because the league had taken a lengthy mid-season break.

Now, he plunges into action.

“His energy has been impressive,” said one of the Banket United directors. “He has really made the boys work in training and, the good thing is he works with them. “He has been leading by example and we are excited about his coming in and we are hoping for the best.”