admin
Tadious Manyepo-Sports Reporter
FORMER Black Aces goalkeeper, Emmanuel “Shumba” Nyahuma, wouldn’t probably have made it to the top, had he ignored advice from his late neighbour, Abel Mbudzi.
Nyahuma was a midfielder while growing up in Highfield in the junior league for Lusaka Spurs and later Chikwana Rangers.
“I was a very good infield player. My dream was to play as a midfielder and it was looking very promising,” recalls Nyahuma.
“Like any other kid in the ghetto, I used to play street football, while growing up, until I joined Lusaka Spurs, of course, as an outfield player. I would woo fans with my ball artistry and I was dreaming of one day making it big, as a midfielder.”
But, his neighbour Mbudzi, one day took Nyahuma aside.
“The late Mbudzi, who happened to be our neighbour, told me that I would be good as a goalkeeper,’’ said Nyahuma.
“I took the advice and that is when I started to be serious with goalkeeping.
“Growing up, our family used to attend the Anglican Church, which is opposite the Zimbabwe Grounds.
“The church service would begin at 9am while our football matches would start at 8:30am so I made it a point that I woke up early to play football first, before going to church.
“Predictably, I would fail to attend church most of the times either playing or just watching others play.”
After some fine performances, as a junior goalkeeper, Nyahuma was taken to Dynamos, and he immediately made a mark.
He was given an opportunity in the team’’s reserve side and performed well but he couldn’t stay.
“I once featured for the Dynamos reserve, side after some DeMbare supporters convinced me to join their team,’’ he said.
“But, then, after my first reserve game, some people came to me and said a lot of scary stories, which they associated with the Glamour Boys.
“I decided not to go back.”
That was when he was lured to sign for lowly Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe side which was playing in Division Seven.
“We earned promotion every season, from Division 7 up until Division 2,’’ he said.
“We only failed to get promoted into the First Division after a team called Screentone pipped us to the prize, on the last day of the season, in 1989.”
But, everyone had taken notice.
With Black Aces building their team, coach Steve “The Dude” Kwashi, approached Nyahuma.
“The late Steve “The Dude” Kwashi then decided to sign me at Black Aces, it was a team associated with my hood, Highfield.
“Imagine I was sold for just $1800 and I was given my 10 percent, which was $180.
“I was happy and actually held a party with my friends celebrating the achievement.
“I was working for Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe and I only trained with the team once a week on Wednesdays, when I knocked off at work, at 2pm.’’
The 56-year-old, who would become the Warriors goalkeepers’ coach between 2006 and 2009.
His best season came in 1992 when Aces won the Premiership, the same year he also won the Goalkeeper of the Year accolade.
“My standout season was in 1992 when we won the Premier Soccer League title and I was the Soccer Star runner-up while I was also voted the Goalkeeper of the Year.”
“I think football, in the past, was full of talent yet unrewarding, which is the complete opposite with state of affairs now.
“Training time was limited as people would first go to work and then train late in the day.
“So, we wouldn’t do many drills, it was 11 versus 11, and then here and there some drills but not compared to now, where players have plenty of time at the training ground, because it is their full-time job.
“I am not saying today’s players are bad.
“Some of them are extremely talented but then some of them are taking hard drugs and when you want to advise them, they will tell you that if you were that perfect during your heydays, what do you have to show for it?’’
Nyahuma is one of the few legends who managed to buy a house.
He is now the goalkeepers’ coach at St George’s College in Harare where he has already unearthed Malcom Mapondera, who is now playing in Europe.
Online Reporter