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Farai Jere

Robson Sharuko Senior Sports Editor—
IT was a defining image of ecstasy, a man releasing all his emotions in his finest hour of triumph, as he bathed in the sunshine of glory on the biggest of all stages after finally burying the demons of shattered dreams which had stalked his grand vision for a dozen years. Dressed in a sober grey hand-tailored three-piece designer suit, and matching tie, he abandoned all the values of decency that his business approach and dressing have always expressed as the football supporter in him — which he had painfully suppressed for years in his years in the boardroom — finally found a way to escape from its bondage.

Fists clenched, eyes lit, mouth wide-opened, his twisted face an illustration of boundless joy and the right arm of his shirt, for a man always conscious of the image he presents to the public, uncharacteristically dangling from its socket, he embarked on a short sprint on the hallowed turf of the National Sports Stadium.

Ray “Mawaya’’ Kapondoro, a loyal a lieutenant to every CAPS United president since the days of Twine Phiri, was on his left side, himself also a beacon of happiness as he joined his club’s boss in that short sprint of joy.

In the background, the beaming faces of celebrating souls told the story of the moment, a people exploding in a frenzy of joy in their fortress, the place they call home, amid a background of captivating sounds and sights so beautiful they would only have been fit for the eyes of angels in their flight.

For a fleeting moment, time appeared to stand still, frozen by the beauty of the occasion, the outpouring of joy in the stands triggered by the magic of a good story that had a happy ending as the Green Machine finally celebrated the iconic moment when they were initiated into the big league of African football.

And, at the centre of it all, was this nicely-dressed man, taking a trip back into time to when he was a schoolboy, when such care-free animated celebrations were part of the culture of the boys’ club — exploding, screaming, chanting, a happy soul at peace with himself, as he enjoyed the dividends of his spirited efforts.

For Farai Jere, this was the moment he had always dreamt about. When his beloved CAPS United would be an oasis of happiness, flying their national flag with distinction with their success on the pitch being celebrated in a national, rather than local and tribal context, with an entire country joining them in their finest hour.

When his Green Machine would celebrate their transition from being just a club that specialised in chasing domestic knockout trophies, including small ones, calling themselves the Cup Kings, while their biggest rivals perfected the art of winning the championship that matters, the league title, and also taking their place among African football’s elite teams.

When they could take on one of the giants of African football, a club that has not only won three Champions League titles in the past eight years but have also made history as the only one from this continent to reach the final of the FIFA Club World Cup, and avoid defeat over 180 minutes of explosive action en-route to eliminating their opponents from CAF’s flagship inter-club tournament.

And, in that moment of celebrations at the giant stadium on Sunday, Jere didn’t hide any of the emotions that were exploding in his body as he soaked in the pleasure of the moment.

‘’I have been in this game all my life and I can tell you that I’ve never felt that good,’’ he told The Herald.

‘’It was simply incredible, the kind of feeling that you can’t put into words, to be there with the boys as they put up such a gallant fight, to experience all those emotions, to understand that we were fighting not only for ourselves but our country and to see all that overwhelming support, to defeat the toughest of all opponents we could have got in this draw, was simply out of this world.

“Even right now, it looks like a dream but the good thing about life is that dreams can also come true. I’m happy that we represented our country with distinction, gave our nation something to make them happy and, for me, that has always been the reason why I came into this game as an administrator and investor.’’

Moments earlier, in the comfort of his VVIP seat, Jere had cut an isolated figure, consumed by the fear of failure, the possibility things could go wrong, tormented by the demons of seeing everything his boys had worked very hard for by being destroyed by the cruelty of a game where a single goal by the visitors could have been the difference between success and failure.

It hasn’t always been this good for Jere. There were days when tears flooded his eyes, like that night in a Bulawayo hotel when the emotions overcame him, after CAPS United were humiliated 0-3 by Dynamos in a Mbada Diamonds Cup semi-final at Barbourfields, on November 4, 2012, leading him to quit his post as the club’s vice-president.

Or that May day in 2011 when he was the subject of insults from some CAPS United fans at the giant stadium, who accused him of hiring Moses Chunga, after CAPS United crashed to a 0-1 defeat at the hands of Hwange.

There have been accusations that he is either a DeMbare fan, or a Glamour Boys spy, along the way and even when he invested the club’s future in the hands of Lloyd Chitembwe in September 2015, after he had taken over as the club owner, there were a lot of dissenting voices.

But he remained faithful to his vision, even if it came at a huge cost in terms of the financial investment he has poured into the club, always arguing that CAPS United needed not only to be champions, but also make a mark in the Champions League, to free themselves from the chain of under-achievement.

When he said his team could make it into the group stages of the Champions League, many doubted him, and when he chose Ferroviario de Beira of Mozambique and Zanaco of Zambia as the right sparring partners for his preparations, others questioned him.

But, today, he stands vindicated after both the Mozambican and Zambian clubs also advanced to the group stages of this year’s Champions League.

“It shows that we picked the right opponents for our preparations because these are very strong teams and remember that we beat the Mozambicans here and we beat Zanaco in Zambia and that should have shown you guys that we are strong team,’’ said Jere.

For now, he can enjoy his moment — and, at least, a $550 000 pay cheque — which represents the only directly meaningful dividend from prize money which his adventure has reaped.

Of course, money has never played a central part in his football adventure, where he has lost a lot in this game.

And, after all, no amount of money can buy those sights and sounds at the giant stadium on Sunday.

Simply priceless!