admin
Grace Chingoma Senior Sports Editor
ALOIS Bunjira has come a long way, from the days he exploded on the domestic football scene as a teenage forward, coming close to being a champion with Blackpool to winning the league title with CAPS United.
He went to the United States, Slovakia and Poland, eventually settled in South Africa and returned home with a dream to making a difference to the game that has always been a part of his life.
Bunjira even dreams of becoming the next ZIFA president and, this week, he spoke to The Herald on Saturday about his journey in a wide-ranging interview.
“I started playing at an early age because, back then, we had a sound junior system that shaped us well and we played so many matches, clocked up thousands of hours playing football that we got to be mature and fit much early,” he said.
“When I arrived onto the Super League scene, I was not the only one. Players like Stewart Murisa, Alex Munawa, Lloyd Jowa, Maxwell Dube, Steven Matsaira, Rabson Muchichwa also got onto the scene at around the same time as youngsters.
“Players like Peter Ndlovu had earlier led the way, that was all because of that sound junior system. Unfortunately, we abandoned that and that is why you won’t see a 17-year-old or 18-year-old making waves in Zimbabwe football.
“These days, 18-year-olds are fighting to repeat O-Level so that they can play football at school. During our time 18-year-olds would be knocking at the senior national team door.
“The nation already knew of Peter Ndlovu when he was still at Bosso Under-16. Every Dynamos fan knew Vitalis Takawira or Memory Mucherahowa when the boys were still playing for the club’s Under-16.”
So, what really happened with his move to the United States?
“USA is a sad story, but things like that do happen,” he said. “I went to Western Kentucky University to study Mechanical Engineering, on a football scholarship, but ended up staying there for just two semesters.
“I was homesick, but the main reason I cut short my stay at the university was the opportunity to go to Galatasaray in Turkey that I received when I was at Western Kentucky.
“I had settled well at the university, scoring good grades and playing some great football. I was the Freshman of the Year in the Sun Belt Conference and also made into the Sun Belt Conference Best XI Players of the Year.
“I also heard Elasto Kapowezha (Lungu) had gone to Poland and I felt like I was losing out on a European career. That is when I answered that call, decided to quit University and come back.
“Unfortunately, the deal to go to Galatasaray eventually didn’t materialise although their team manager had flown into Zimbabwe to meet up with me and Wieslaw Grabowski at Meikles Hotel the day I landed from the USA.
“It is a sad long story that included talks of me getting loaned to another smaller Turkish side and then missing a night flight, after first playing a crucial league match against Dynamos at Rufaro Stadium, it is a long and twisted story and I ended up going to Poland instead and then Slovakia.”
Of course, then came, his time in South Africa.
“My time at Wits University was, obviously, the best for me in South Africa, I played great football and the club looked after me very well,” he said.
“The best part was that the club offered us bursaries to study and I took it up. I took up Information Technology. We were also offered a bursary to study Sports Management afterwards by Boston College.
“I took it up, but I couldn’t complete it when I moved clubs. Elasto Lungu and Charles Yohane did complete it as they stayed at Bidvest Wits University.
“I believe professional clubs should encourage their footballers to take up education or vocational training while still playing .This could help shape up a foundation for life after football.
“I am looking to do some Sports Administration courses to put me in a good position to switch into football administration smoothly one day.”
What about his relationship with Grabowski and CAPS United?
“My relationship with Grabowski was great and is still great to this day,” he said. “He took me in when I was in Form Four and rented a flat for me and Stewart in town and, eventually in Eastlea, when I was doing Form 5.
“He was basically taking care of me and Shutto in everything, including paying for our school fees and school uniforms. He had big dreams for me.
“Unfortunately, our relationship took a dip when I decided to go to the USA .He was not happy at all because he wanted me to go to Europe.
“When I left for the US, I had to be escorted to the airport by police because Grabowski was threatening to stop me from going. That is why he kept pushing until I left Western Kentucky to come back.
“Our relationship got back to normal, but soured again a bit when I left CAPS United for South Africa because he was not happy with the figures and he preferred me going to Europe. Unfortunately, I belonged to CAPS United then.
“But, I still believe I should have gone to Europe. I believe, even with the relative success I achieved in football, I still under-achieved. I didn’t do justice to the talent I had in my younger and prime age.
“Right now, myself and Grabowski, we are cool. Once, in a while, I visit him at his house and we chat. It looks like he is now more interested in my son than me.”
It’s 25 years since that Blackpool campaign, does he feel Ndochi were robbed of the title which was won by Dynamos?
“We were robbed, that is what I think,” he said. “Firstly, we were supposed to be playing the last fixture on the same day.
“Secondly, the rules were vague and they were never outlined.
“Some were saying the team that scores more will win, in case of a similar goal difference, and some were saying the team that concedes less.
“The league never came out to clarify, but only came out to declare Dynamos as winners. We were heartbroken. I also take the blame for that league loss, though.
“I had scored a brace (against Tongorara) and George Mbwando had scored the other goal, we were leading 3-0, with about a minute to go, I came face-to-face with the ‘keeper and missed.
“If I had scored the hattrick and 4-0, maybe, we could have won the league.”
On Monday, Bunjira will talk about that tackle from Kaitano Tembo, that injury and how he came back to play football again, only in The Herald.
Online Reporter