Online Reporter
Langton Nyakwenda
Zimpapers Sports Hub
JOEL LUPAHLA is enjoying a rapid rise as a coach, a contrast to his modest playing career that, while memorable, never turned him into an extraordinary superstar.
Many still recall the goal he scored 21 years ago when Zimbabwe stunned Algeria 2-1 at the 2004 Africa Cup of Nations in Tunisia.
The winger, nicknamed Dubai, also turned out in Cyprus after starting at Zimbabwe Saints in Bulawayo.
Now 48, Lupahla has moved from a supporting hand at TelOne, Highlanders, CAPS United and Dynamos to be the man in charge at Simba Bhora.
Tonight he takes another big step as he leads the Shamva side into their first CAF Champions League assignment in Francistown, Botswana.
The Zimbabwe champions host Eswatini’s Nsingisi Hotspur at 8pm in a preliminary round tie, hoping to lay a strong platform for the return leg next weekend.
Victory over Nsingisi would earn the team a second round meeting with either Gaborone United of Botswana or Simba SC of Tanzania.
Simba Bhora qualified for the continent’s premier club competition after winning the 2024 Castle Lager Premier Soccer League title under Tonderai Ndiraya, now at Scottland.
Lupahla stepped up and has quickly adjusted to the demands of the job, keeping the team on course to defend their league crown.
Go Buju Go top the 2025 standings with a two-point cushion over Scottland and six games to play.
That twin mission, retaining the league and making an impact in Africa, has weighed on the coach.
“Pressure will kill me,” Lupahla told Zimpapers Sports Hub from Botswana.
“I am only standing because of the Lord, but at times I look at myself in the mirror and think, boy, what did you get yourself into?
“The pressure of maintaining that position at the top of the log with six games to go is immense. Also, the pressure of facing Nsingisi when I know not much of them. The pressure of a nation pregnant with hope makes me not want to leave any space for disappointment. The good thing though is that the boys understand the mission.”
Lupahla believes his team will hold firm.
“The boys are calm before the storm,” he said.
This will be a new experience for most of Simba Bhora’s squad at the continental stage.
But they can count on Malawi’s number one goalkeeper William Thole; skipper Blessing Moyo, who has handled Champions League tension with Dynamos; Never Tigere, who has played in the competition with FC Platinum; and Donald Mudadi, who has featured in the CAF Confederation Cup with Dynamos last year.
Junior Makunike impressed at the 2025 COSAFA Cup in South Africa, while tall defender Isheanesu Mauchi has been gaining valuable exposure with the national team.
For Lupahla, tonight is a defining moment.
He must steer Simba Bhora through their maiden Champions League adventure without letting their league defence slip, a daunting task, but one he welcomes with faith and determination.
