Zim local footballers Twitter shy

Sisasenkosi Ncube .
ONCE upon a time, not so long ago all that footballers did was play the game but things have changed, players are now personal brands that also make the money outside the game and social media is a big part of it.

But with domestic footballers in the Zimbabwe Premier Soccer League that ceases to be the case with most of the countryaï¿½ï¿½s soccer stars not anywhere to be seen in this social networking era where modern athletes like Christiano Ronaldo, Mesuit Ozil, Lionel Messi to mention a few use it to communicate with their fans around the world and command a large following of over 30 million people.

Big names that electrified the just endedAï¿½ domestic league such as Leonard Tsipa, current player of the year Hardlife Zvirekwi, Obadiah Tarumbwa, Eric Mudzingwa, Charles Sibanda, Rodrick Mutuma and FC Platinumaï¿½ï¿½s Whinston Mhango to mention a few are nowhere near twitter.

Although aAï¿½ few local footballers are on social networking sites their activities are as good as dead!

Chicken Inn defender, Teenage aï¿½?Maneroaï¿½ï¿½ Hadebe opened a twitter account this year sometime in July and that was the last time the father of one was ever active. The player commands a paltry 32 followers.

Bulawayo Chiefs striker Mkhokheli DubeAï¿½ seems to be the player very active on the site, with over 700 followers and his last tweet was on 3 December this year.

The large number of Zimbabwean footballers on twitter is dominated by players plying their trade in Europe and South Africa with Willard Katsande who plays for South African giants Kaizer Chiefs raking up 74 200 followers since joining twitter in 2012.

Matthew Rusike (Helsingborgs FC in Sweden), Khama Billiat (Mamelodi Sundowns) are some of the top followed footballers coming from Zimbabwe with 41200 and 24100 followers respectively.

Perhaps, it is time for local footballers to take a leaf out of local cricket players like Sean Williams, Sikandar Raza, Christopher Mpofu and John Nyumbu who just like any other professional athletes have twitter accounts to communicate with their fans and reach out to other athletes.

Other Zim Footballers Twitter Users

Peter Ndlovu

@officialNdlovuAï¿½ 2680 followers

Cuthbert Malajila

@cazola1985Aï¿½ 9873 followers

Costa Nhamoinhesu

@costy26Aï¿½ 921 followers

Khama Gaucho Billiat

@IamKhamaBilliatAï¿½ 24100 followers

Matthew Rusike

@mattyrusikeAï¿½ 41200 followers

Tendai Ndoro