Online Reporter
Langton Nyakwenda
Zimpapers Sports Hub
SUNDAY CHIDZAMBWA, the first coach to take Zimbabwe to the Africa Cup of Nations finals in 2004, has been off the radar lately, but the legendary gaffer is still very much in the trenches.
The 73-year-old coach has now clocked a year at FC Porto Academy, where he is not only producing future stars but is also grooming upcoming coaches, including former Sporting Lions midfielder Alvin Ndunduma.
Chidzambwa says he has spent enough time in academy football for him to gauge the talent that is coming out and also predicts what the future holds for Zimbabwean football.
The veteran coach has one big worry.
“Most of the boys from urban centres have small frames and this is a big disadvantage in football,” Chidzambwa told Zimpapers Sports Hub.
FC Porto Academy is one of the rising football nurseries in the country.
They now have at least six players in the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League, including the highly-rated 17-year-old midfielder Calvin Chigara who is at TelOne.
Just like many players in several Harare-based academies, Chigara also hails from an urban area.
He was raised in Mbare.
Young Warriors prospect, Cobert Junior Chimedza, who now plays for AC Marinhense in Portugal, is another FC Porto Academy player who was born and raised in Harare.
While appreciating the talents coming from the urban centres, especially from the ghettos, Chidzambwa feels more needs to be done to incorporate rural talent.
“I was in Madziva recently for a tournament and I saw huge boys there.
“They were not only big . . . they also showed a lot of promise.
“I think as coaches, if we cast our net wide we can produce very good talent with the right size,” said Chidzambwa.
The legendary gaffer, who led Dynamos to a first and only CAF Champions League final appearance by any Zimbabwean side, in 1998, is confident the country’s football future is bright.
After Chidzambwa led Zimbabwe to their maiden AFCON finals 21 years ago, the nation has gone on to make more appearances in 2006, 2017, 2019 and 2021.
Zimbabwe will make their sixth appearance at the continental football show-piece in December in Morocco.
“I have been in academy football for almost a year now and I have seen quite a lot of good talent.
“I think Zimbabwe has a very bright future,” said Chidzambwa.
“What these young boys need are the basics, and they have to be taught these basics at a very tender age, for example at FC Porto Academy we start from Under-6.
“The advantage we now have as a country is that we now have a lot of registered academies operating properly and according to standards.
“Back then we only had a few clubs like Dynamos and CAPS United having junior teams but if you look at the current situation, most clubs are now investing in junior development.
“I am happy there is progress at FC Porto Academy. We now have a number of players playing in the Premier Soccer League.
“We have three players at Ngezi Platinum Stars, two at TelOne and another one at Bikita Minerals.”
Chidzambwa, an authoritative voice in local and African football, spoke glowingly about Chigara, who has caught the eye with some top performances for TelOne.
“I have to talk about Chigara who is at TelOne, that boy is so good.
“He will go a very long way; I am sure he will make it overseas, that’s my opinion.
“He is a box-to-box midfielder who is also good at marking. His passing is good. This boy from Mbare is something special,” Chidzambwa purred.
Online Reporter