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Tadious Manyepo, Sports Reporter
THE rich Checheche football talent mine is threateningly drying up.
It’s 2pm on a Saturday and the sun-baked, rugged and bare Checheche Primary School football pitch stands desperately aloof.
Abandoned.
This is the home of the popular Chawira Football Academy that has over the years been an oasis of hope for prospective players.
It has identified, groomed and nurtured popular stars like one of Dynamos’ 2008 CAF Champions League heroes, Philip Marufu, who is currently playing for Chapungu.
It has churned out Simba Bhora hot-shot Perfect Chikwende, ex-DeMbare star Matthew Mahala, the GreenFuel pair of Stephen Chatikobo and Luke Musukiri and many more.
The academy has a female section too, which polished Mighty Warriors mainstay Edline Mutumbami into a gem.
But vibrancy is slowly eluding this once-flourishing talent factory.
Activity will only commence at the ground well after 4pm thanks to the sweltering heat, which is now a permanent feature in this area, a clear indication of climate change.
According to experts, global temperatures have risen by 1°C and that’s significant enough to worsen the situation obtaining in arid areas like the Save Valley.
Academy director Silas Chawira said of late, it has been difficult to continue exposing the kids to severe hot weather to avoid heat stress and corresponding ailments leaving them without any option, but to wait until after 4pm to start training.
“The weather conditions are forcing us to delay some games and during summer, it is impossible to play midday games as the temperatures would be very high and we have seen dehydration of players leading to fainting.
“The pitch would be too hot for most of our players who play barefoot as well.
“And when the rains come, they will be very excessive and we are also forced to stop playing due to flooding. Both situations have impacted us in a very big way and we are struggling to produce quality players unlike what we used to do before.”
Former ZIFA technical director and FIFA instructor Wilson Mutekede said climate change affects the development of football in a huge manner.
“Look, climate change doesn’t only cause delays in matches but the effects are far-reaching.
“In the case of grassroots, which is the backborne of sport, it derails the whole development process,” said Mutekede.
“We are saying a youngster should train for at least 10 000 hours before reaching the age of 16 for them to grasp the concepts at that level.
“But with inclement weather and high temperatures stopping, cutting or delaying training schedules, more and more youngsters cannot attain the required hours and when they reach the professional level, they won’t manage.
“That means all the investments which would have been done by parents and coaches would go down the drain.”
Even the obtaining drug and substance abuse scourge currently affecting both professional footballers and other sportspersons are directly or indirectly related to climate change, according to sports medicine guru Dr Nick Munyonga.
Several footballers have seen their promising careers ending prematurely after abusing drugs.
Former CAPS United captain and Harare City midfield wizard Moses Muchenje didn’t start abusing substances by design.
The midfielder revealed that at the peak of his career at Harare City, he was stressed and depressed, possibly due to none payment of salaries, bonuses and allowances that he decided to find solace in alcohol and ended up being addicted and eventually wasted.
With the City of Harare revealing that they couldn’t really cater for the football club’s financial needs at the time, they advised the team to look for sponsorship which wasn’t forthcoming.
“For close to two years, I was a victim of alcohol abuse as a result of too many problems. I was stressed and the stress culminated into depression. The alcohol abuse spree affected my relationship with so many people including my family.
“So many things were happening and I got too stressed,” said Muchenje.
“I failed to handle the pressure and eventually I slipped into acute depression. That’s how I started abusing alcohol and got addicted.”
Muchenje is currently toiling around after failing to join any top-tier teams following his rehab.
Another top player Jerry Chipangura who was Muchenje’s teammate at Harare City was caught in possession of illicit drugs which he was selling in Mabvuku by the police.
The striker was trying to supplement the little he was getting from the not-so-well-up team.
He was subsequently tried, convicted and sentenced to 13 months in prison.
It is suspected that he would supply some of the drugs to some of his teammates at Harare City and across the league.
Chipangura was released on parole and is now playing for Yadah.
Said Munyonga; “Climate change can have an indirect impact on mental health, which may, in turn, contribute to issues like drug abuse.
“Heatwaves (like what is happening in Zimbabwe around every September-November)can lead to trauma, anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
“With climate change negatively impacting local economies, particularly in agriculture-dependent regions, financial instability can lead to increased stress, anxiety, and depression.
“Individuals experiencing mental health issues due to climate change-related stressors may turn to substances as a coping mechanism. Drugs and alcohol are often used to self-medicate against feelings of anxiety, depression, and trauma. That possibly explains why we have a high number of those incidents across the sporting divide.”
But Munyonga says all hope is not lost.
The impact of climate change on football and sports in general is a growing concern that requires proactive measures to ensure the safety of athletes, the integrity of competitions, and the sustainability of sports facilities,” added Munyonga.
“We should also start implementing environmentally sustainable practices in stadium construction and operations to reduce the carbon footprint.
“We should as well start developing more flexible scheduling systems to accommodate weather-related disruptions while enhancing health protocols to monitor and protect players from heat-related illnesses and poor air quality.”
Deputy Minister of Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture Emily Jesaya said they are putting in measures to combat the effects of climate change in sport and actually use sport to advocate for climate change solutions.
Online Reporter