Sharuko on Saturday

COME ON GUYS, JUST LIKE ICELAND, THIS IS OUR COUNTRY, OUR WARRIORS, ALL THAT WE HAVE

ON Thursday, the world took a bow to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the genius of Diego Maradona’s “Goal of the Century” and also remember the Argentine superstar’s moment of infamy with his “Hand of God” goal one unforgettable afternoon in the Mexican sunshine. The two milestone moments, which unfolded before 114 000 fans at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City, did not only define a titanic ’86 World Cup quarter-final showdown between Argentina and England, exploding with political overtones, but also created iconic images that have defiantly refused to be blown away by the passage of time.

Four years earlier, the two countries had been fighting a bitter war over the Falklands Islands, which the British won and when Maradona dumped England out of the ’86 World Cup, with a combination of notoriety and genius, this was more than just a victory in a football match.

“This was our revenge, we all said beforehand that we shouldn’t mix the two things, but that was a lie,” Maradona said in his 2000 autobiography “I Am El Diego.”
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“We knew that a lot of Argentine kids had died there, that they had mowed us down like little birds.”

Of course, whether Maradona’s super strike that afternoon was the greatest goal ever scored is debatable in a game that has seen some glorious goals, including Chelsea stringing together 25 passes in 2014 before setting up Andre Schurrle to finish, Jack Wilshere providing the end product to Arsenal’s beautiful team effort in 2013 and Lionel Messi’s virtuoso individual goal for Barcelona against Getafe in the 2006/ 2007 Spanish Cup semi-final.

But, it appears, the fact that Maradona’s goal was delivered on the grand stage of the World Cup, for his country in a game pregnant with all those explosive political undertones, with the weight of an entire nation on his shoulders, made that goal very special in the minds of the fans who voted in the FIFA poll for the “Goal of the Century”.
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There is nothing better than representing one’s country and Peter Ndlovu will probably win a poll in this country, among the fans, for the greatest Zimbabwean player of all-time because what the Flying Elephant achieved, in the colours of this nation in football battles, is the stuff that defines legends.

The fact that he was the leader, captain of the ship, who finally led from the front as the Warriors ended their lengthy wait to play at the Nations Cup finals and, two years later, proved it wasn’t a fluke as he again led them to another dance at Africa’s biggest football festival, has earned him a very special place in the hearts of the game’s fans in this country.
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His patriotism, which saw him jump onto a waiting car just after playing a game in England, still in his club’s kit, drive straight to the airport, board a plane for an overnight flight to Johannesburg, connect one to Harare, arrive just three hours before the game, drive straight to the National Sports Stadium and not only play for the Warriors, but also score in a starring role for the team as was the case in that COSAFA Cup final against Malawi, made him such a rare and special breed of a footballer.

It also strengthened the special bond that exists between him and the fans and the local media and even now — years after he left the scene — he is still remembered as King Peter because no one has ever done more and achieved more, for this country in football, than our Flying Elephant.

 

ICELANDERS SHOW US

WHAT IT MEANS TO SUCCEED

ON THE BIG STAGE

On Wednesday, Iceland, a nation of just 330 000, less than the population of Chitungwiza, celebrated their finest hour in football when they wrote one of football’s greatest success stories by qualifying for the knockout stages of the 2016 UEFA Euro Championships.

They are a country without even one professional football club, without an army, navy or airforce and they had already created history by becoming the smallest nation to qualify for a major international football tournament when they booked their place in France.

The Icelanders’ phenomenal achievements can be put into perspective by the fact that while Cristiano Ronaldo’s £80 million transfer fee from Manchester United to Real Madrid is more than FOUR times the cost of all the 23 Icelandic players at the Euro Championships, they somehow held the Portuguese to a draw in their group game.

Ronaldo’s 43 million plus Twitter followers dwarfs the entire 330 000 population of Iceland, a tiny nation where the surname of every male individual ends with the letters SON, and every female citizen ends with the letters DOTTIR, which — 20 years ago — made history when Arnor and Eiour Guojohnson became the first father and son to play in the same match in an international game.

When Arnor Ingvi Traustason scored in time added on to give Iceland a 2-1 win over Austria, which gave them a ticket into the knockout stages of this Euro Championships, Icelanders rushed out of their homes, pubs and even churches to flood the streets in celebrating their finest hour.

For Icelandic football commentator, Gudmundur Benediktsson, who was covering the game, that moment of national pride and jubilation blew away any objectivity that could ordinarily have been expected from a sports caster as he went into a trance that has produced an Internet sensation.

“Everything’s open, Theodor Elmar, is he alone on their side of the field? Three on two! Emmi, inside the box, inside the box, Emmi, YEEEEEES! YEEEEEES! YEEEEEES! YEEEEEES! YEEEEEES! YEEEEEES! We are winning! We have qualified to the 16 team final,” he screams in his commentary.

“We have qualified to the 16-team competition! We are winning Austria! The voice is gone, but that doesn’t matter, we have qualified! Arnor Ingvi Traustason just scored. Iceland 2, Austria 1. What a moment, what a moment. The referee has called the game, and I have never, I have never felt this good.

“Arnor Ingvi Traustason guarantees us the first win in the Euros! We have never lost, don’t forget that, we have never lost, but the first win is a fact! Iceland 2, Austria 1. Thanks for coming Austria, thanks for coming!”

For Benediktsson, this wasn’t about ethics, it wasn’t about tradition, it was about his country, the joy that swept throughout his body, the emotions that exploded inside him and, boy oh boy, he celebrated it with everything that he had.

Interestingly, while this is acceptable in these countries, we seemingly don’t embrace it here and when Charles Mabika goes to town celebrating his Warriors’ Nations Cup success on television, we bombard him with insults for exaggerating our success and becoming personal rather than professional.

When I dared celebrate Khama Billiat’s superb goal for Mamelodi Sundowns in their CAF Champions League tie in Algeria, I received a lot of hate mail and insults, from my fellow Zimbabweans who said I had exaggerated the quality of that goal.

Someone, who calls himself Significant Watemwa, a regular contributor on The Herald website’s feedback columns on our football stories who used to see Cuthbert Dube as a King and our national game as his Castle, sharply criticised me, as he always does.

Another contributor said he had long stopped reading my stuff even though, interestingly, he was commenting on a report I had written.

My question is, why should the goalposts shift when it comes to us and what is acceptable around the world, when it comes to journalists celebrating their national teams and national players like Khama Billiat, suddenly becomes taboo and unacceptable here?

Why do we confine ourselves to an isolated island where Mabika shouldn’t go to town to celebrate the Warriors’ success, and Khama or Musona’s brilliance, when everywhere around the world this is very acceptable, very fashionable that commentators who do it end up being celebrated in newspapers?

Is it because we hate ourselves so much, is it because we are desperate for that negative story, we can’t wait for that horrible stuff that we can’t embrace, or celebrate, on the occasions we do well?

When we qualify for the Nations Cup finals, as we have done with a game to spare, they say we only did it because we were in a weak group that had Malawi and Swaziland and they deliberately choose to ignore the fact that Guinea, who have finished runners-up in this tournament before and been quarter-finalists FOUR times, including at the last tournament last year, were also part of our group.

While Guinea were qualifying for the 2015 Nations Cup quarter-finals, from a group that had Cote d’Ivoire (eventual champions), Mali and Cameroon, South Africa and Zambia were being eliminated from the group stages without a win to their credit after they both finished bottom of their groups.

The fact that, for all the challenges that our football faces, including lack of funding and a $6 million debt, we could be the only Southern African nation at the 2017 Nations Cup finals is, according to them, nothing special and shouldn’t be celebrated.

Come on guys, like Iceland, this is our country, all that we have.

 

YES, CALLISTO, THERE IS NOTHING LIKE LEADING ONE’s COUNTRY

Our coach Callisto Pasuwa has become hot property and a Tanzanian club wants to pay him $20 000 a month, plus other benefits, if he agrees to coach them.

Given that Pasuwa gets $7 000 a month, not paid by ZIFA, but a benefactor Wicknell Chivayo, the carrot being dangled by the Tanzanians is something that is difficult to ignore.

But, like the principled man that he has always been, he revealed on Thursday that nothing will tempt him from his Warriors’ project and that is refreshing because it’s not always the money, or the promise of a good life, that matters in this life.

Pasuwa’s $7 000, leading his country, is worth more than $20 000 leading an obscure Tanzanian club

In case you doubt that, ask basketball superstar, LeBron James, who collapsed in tears after guiding his hometown franchise Cleveland Cavaliers to their first NBA title on Monday morning and his city’s first major sporting title since 1964.

This was a man who had won multiple NBA titles with the Miami Heat, but in his own words, it never felt as good as winning one for the people of his hometown Cleveland, his people.

“I came back for a reason,” said James. “I came back to bring a championship to OUR city.”

Money can’t buy that, never, it’s priceless.

TO GOD BE THE GLORY!

Come on Warriors!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Khamaldinhooooooooooooooooo!

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Chat with me on Facebook, follow me on Twitter @Chakariboy, interact with me on Viber or read my material in The Southern Times. The authoritative ZBC weekly television football magazine programme, Game Plan, is being refreshed and we off air for now.

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