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Raymond Jaravaza
THE stars are certainly lining up for former Mighty Warriors coach Shadreck Mlauzi after he joined an elite list of football personalities that have scaled greater academic heights at respected universities in the country.
Last week Mlauzi — who was unceremoniously fired by Zifa from the Mighty Warriors head coach position in 2017 — graduated at the Zimbabwe Open University with a Bachelor of Science Honours in Physical Education and Sport.
The Sikhulile High School Physical Education teacher was capped by President Emmerson Mnangagwa in Harare last Friday.
Graduation day was a bittersweet moment for Mlauzi who put his studies on hold for two years to concentrate on the Mighty Warriors job only to be chucked out by the Philip Chiyangwa-led Zifa without benefits.
He later dragged the football association to court on unfair dismissal charges.
“I started my studies in 2012 but was forced to drop out in 2015 to concentrate on Mighty Warriors duties. It was impossible to continue with university studies while coaching the national women’s team because of extensive travelling for qualifier matches and tournaments in addition to camping for days on end.
“I loved the Mighty Warriors job so I have no regrets putting my studies on hold for two years and after I was fired, I made a resolution to finish what I started in 2012,” said Mlauzi.
Mlauzi says being one of the few coaches who never played professional football pushed him to take up a Science Honours in Physical Education and Sport degree to equip himself with as much sports knowledge as possible.
“I never played professional football like my fellow colleagues in coaching so I had to work twice as hard and learn everything there is to know about football. I then decided to take up a sports degree to gain as much knowledge as I possibly could,” he said.
He joins a list of former Dynamos players Tauya Murewa who studied at the University of Zimbabwe and the late Roderick Muganhiri, a medical doctor, and Highlanders midfielder Gabriel Nyoni, a holder of a marketing degree from the National University of Science and Technology.
Mlauzi’s battle with Zifa over unfair dismissal charges was finally put to rest last month by the Labour Court.
Zifa was ordered to pay $187 290 for dues owed to the former coach.
Justice Mercy Moya-Matshanga ruled that despite Zifa denying the existence of an employment contract between it and Mlauzi, there was a clear employee-employer relationship between the two parties.
Mlauzi was dismissed as the women’s national team coach in January 2017 after he had helped the side reach the 2016 Olympics finals, the highest international level that any Zimbabwe football national team has ever reached.
Online Reporter