adminTHEY both hail from Masvingo, they are both members of the Johanne Masowe Echishanu apostolic sect and their combination has brought rare football joy to Zimbabwe.
In Cameroon last Sunday they successfully plotted Zimbabwe’s passage to the African Games as the Young Warriors drew 1-1 with the hosts to progress 2-1 on aggregate.
Kallisto Pasuwa and Saul Chaminuka are combining their technical acumen for the national cause and the pair declares that the best is yet to come. The results of Pasuwa’s combination with his “biological and spiritual brother” Chaminuka is the major talking point in football today as the nation celebrates 35 years of Independence.
But how has the pair, which was involved in a brutal battle for the Castle Premier Soccer League title in 2014, manage to work together?
“Saul is a brother to me, not just a football elder but we are real relatives because our mothers come from the same family,” Pasuwa, the former Dynamos coach, said after their return from Cameroon.
“I also respect him as a coach, he has certain aspects of the game he knows better than me and I try by all means to learn a lot from him. The same way he also takes one or two notes from my coaching book.
“Yes, we were fierce competitors at our respective clubs last year and Mukoma Saul almost wrestled the title from right under my nose with ZPC Kariba but that never affected our relationship.”
While Pasuwa is renowned for his solid defensive tactics, Chaminuka — a central midfielder during his heyday — provides the incisive approach in their project.
And Chaminuka attributes their smooth working relationship more to their spiritual connection. “When I see Pasuwa, I see my real brother and he looks at me as his elder. We grew up together and we all come from Masvingo but the most important thing now is that we are going to the same church, Johanne Masowe Echishanu.
“But I know he is my boss here at the Young Warriors. Last year we were rivals, in a football sense, as we tussled for the championship, but when it came to national duty, I would revert to being Pasuwa’s assistant, we never mixed the two.
“We are working well together, even the players do not have problems because their coaches have the same beliefs,” said the ZPC Kariba mentor.
Young Warriors skipper Wisdom Mutasa, who scored the all-important goal in the 1-0 win in the first leg at Rufaro, also hailed the Pasuwa and Chaminuka combination. “Their understanding of the game is awesome, vanotaura bhora rakafanana (they have similar philosophies), we have learnt a lot from them as a group. They are special coaches and this current crop of the Young Warriors is lucky to have them as mentors,” said Mutasa.
Online Reporter