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Norman Mapeza

Grace Chingoma Senior Sports Reporter
TWENTY years after he overcame the challenges of adjusting to life in the trenches of European football and then rose to play in the UEFA Champions League, Norman Mapeza feels Wisdom Mutasa and Walter Musona desperately need help at this crucial stage of their careers.

The Young Warriors duo dumped their Slovakian club, SK Senec, last week — just months after seemingly having fulfilled their dream of joining a European-based club — and they are now back home with their career at crossroads.

Musona and Mutasa had signed a one-year deal with the Slovak club with their agents hopeful that the two players would use the breakthrough to impress and break into bigger and lucrative leagues in Europe.

However, the two players’ future is now uncertain as they cannot rejoin FC Platinum, who de-registered them when they signed for their Slovak team, and there are issues, related to compensation, which also need to be looked into before a settlement is reached.

Mapeza first went to Poland, where he faced a number of challenges, but his determination to pursuing a career in Europe and his outstanding talent, saw him being signed by Turkish giants Galatasaray and became the first Zimbabwean in-field player to feature in Europe’s top inter-club competition in 1994.

He rubbed shoulders against some of the game’s finest players, at that time, in a duel against Barcelona in Istanbul, with the Catalan giants fielding the likes of Josep Guardiola, who is now the coach of Bayern Munich, Dutch legend Ronald Koeman, Jose Maria Bakero, Hristo Stoichkov of Bulgaria and Brazilian superstar Romario.

Mapeza again featured for his team in the return leg at the Camp Nou, which they lost 1-2, and also played against a Manchester United side, in Istanbul, which featured the likes of Peter Schmeichel, Ryan Giggs, Mark Hughes, Steve Bruce and Lee Sharpe.

Yesterday, Mapeza said it was important that a resolution be thrashed out to enable Mutasa and Musona, who face months on the sidelines, to enable the players to resume their careers.

He feels Aces Youth Academy director Nigel Munyati should go to Slovakia to mend the bridges with the club and find a way to resolve the differences that forced Musona and Mutasa to quit the team and return home.

Mapeza feels there was need for Munyati, the Slovakia club, coach Adrej Stellar and the European agent George Venglos who facilitated the deal together with former Zimbabwe international midfielder Kennedy Chihuri, to sit down and agree on the next move for the players.

“It is a pity that they returned. They are still young and have hunger to play. I understand you would feel neglected, but all the parties concerned should have to find the way forward either to terminate the contract or loan them to a Division One or Division Two club there,” said Mapeza.

“This is the same as what happened to Obrey (Chirwa), he went to Denmark and the new coach said he was not in his plans and had to return home.

“I think Mr Munyati should fly to Slovakia, sit down with the agent, the coach and hear the problems and what went wrong and also hear the recommendations of the coach.

“They can even loan them back to a Zimbabwe club for one year till the contract expires or look for another team there in the lower divisions.”

Mapeza feels the players’ promising careers cannot be held back by their differences with the coach who is now in charge of the team.

The players were in Zvishavane on Friday, but Mapeza told them that they were now bound by contractual obligations with their Slovak coach and cannot just walk back into the team.

“They came here on Friday, but I told them that they cannot train or do anything with us as they were on loan from Aces Academy,” said Mapeza.

“I don’t know what happened to their contract in Slovakia, but I informed them that even to just train with us till the end of the season they will have to get a letter from Aces Academy.

“They have to go back to Aces Academy for a decision or to train there. But I strongly feel that Mr Munyati should fly there, to Slovakia and sort out the whole issue.

“I didn’t really get time to speak to them at length and hear what really transpired there as I was rushing to the afternoon training session before our match against Whawha the following day.

“I feel that someone is not telling the truth and something might have happened. I even heard that Walter sat on the bench some of the games, so I don’t get it.

“But there is no need for finger pointing now, but to map the way forward and Mr Munyati is the best person to decide the player’s next move,” said Mapeza.

The former Warriors player feels there is need for players to be tough mentally for them to make it into Europe.

“I have been in Europe and I have seen it happen all the time that new coaches come and players feel that they have been affected by the changes,” said Mapeza.

“If a new coach doesn’t want a player the club will just agree with the coach and the player’s contract will be terminated or they agree for him to go on loan to another team.

“Fortunately for John Phiri and I, when we went to Europe everybody at the club was happy with our arrival there.

“Of course it is not easy with the language challenges, but football language is the same and that is the important thing.”