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Danai Chitakasha

Special Correspondent

SOON after Independence there was a mass exodus of white players from the Zimbabwean football fraternity. Many retreated to the comfort of social clubs such as Lusitanos and Hellenics. 

There were some really good players there but they made no effort to join teams like Dynamos, CAPS United, Highlanders or Zimbabwe Saints. Of course, there were the so called “coloured players “who were mostly well represented at Arcadia United  but the white Zimbabwean  population was poorly represented in the high echelons of our football. 

Others, however, remained and one of them was Duncan Ellison. He suddenly appeared on the scene  and took over the number one jersey at CAPS United  from veteran keeper Stephen Chisango. I am not sure about his junior football  or what school he attended  but I had the pleasure of watching him when he played for CAPS United in the early 1980s. 

His teammates gave him the nickname “Zico”, which might come as a surprise for many followers of the beautiful game. How does a goalkeeper end up with the name of one of the best attacking midfielders of his generation, the Brazilian Zico?

Did he bear a physical resemblance to the midfield magician? Far from it . Apart from the flowing hair, Duncan Ellison was more on the bulky side compared to the lean and athletic Brazilian midfield maestro. 

So what was it then ?

In one of his Facebook postings, Duncan Ellison, a die-hard Liverpool fan, gave us the answer: “At training I used to bang in some beautiful free-kicks. So impressed were my teammates with my free-kick technique, they nicknamed me Zico!”, posted the CAPS United legend. 

What do I remember about Duncan Ellison?

I remember him  as a hard-working goalkeeper who really put in the work at training. I was privileged enough to watch CAPS United train at the iconic Zimbabwe Grounds in Harare’s high-density suburb of Highfield. From close quarters I saw how much preparation went into becoming a good goalkeeper.

The assumption among many is that a goalkeeper does not have to run as hard as the infield players. He does not need to do physical conditioning because after all in a match he just stands in goal and wait for whatever is thrown at him. 

This is a wrong assumption. Goalkeepers train just as hard and have to be as fit as their infield teammates. In the modern era of “sweeper keepers’’ it has become even more imperative to be able to play as well. The goalkeeping position keeps evolving. But this a discussion for another day, for now let me focus on our featured legend. 

Yes, I watched Duncan Ellison train. With many other fans we were awestruck to see Duncan getting dirty in the not so lush Ground No. 2 at Zimbabwe Grounds. On many occasions he worked closely with Bla Stephen Chisango, taking hits, squats, sit ups and the mandatory press ups. He was well embedded in the team and worked just as hard to earn his spot. There were no kid gloves treatment from the coaches or teammates. He was treated the same!

It was not a surprise therefore when he wrestled the number one jersey from Stephen Chisango around 1981. 

Duncan was a good shot-stopper and was also good with dealing with crosses. In the box he was commanding and had a presence which is always a plus for a goalkeeper. 

“Zico” was also brave, well except when facing Dynamos legend and tricky striker Moses “Razorman” Chunga.

Moses Chunga arrived at Dynamos in 1983 when Duncan Ellison had reached peak form at CAPS United. Chunga was a menace to many defenders and against CAPS United he used to have a field day against veteran defender David “Bambo” Gwanzura. Incidentally, Gwanzura was the first “Bambo’’ in our football fraternity before you know who became Bambo – Moze!

Yes, Chunga used to terrorise Gwanzura and one day he attacked him from the wing. Gwanzura kept retreating afraid to commit himself to a tackle lest he would be left floundering on the green grass. 

Frustrated with the failure of his defender to tackle, Duncan Ellison shouted: “Makai Mozeee!”

Later the inimitable Moses Chunga boasted: “I made Duncan Ellison speak Shona!” 

Football was indeed fun those days and it had a lot of interesting personalities!

Duncan Ellison is indeed a CAPS United Legend and appeared on the Soccer Star of the Year  calendar once, a remarkable achievement. 

He later moved to Arcadia United before hanging up his boots. But it is at CAPS United where he played his best football. 

The only surprise is that he has not involved himself with our football in any capacity since he retired. 

I hope one day he will come back and contribute!

My respect!