Zimpapers Logo

AMID chaos and uncertainty, three footballers became the first Zimbabweans to return to competitive football, on the continent, after the Covid-19 lockdown.

The three footballers were part of the Zambian Super Division show as the league eventually roared back into life on Sunday, after a false start the previous day.

Reigning Soccer Star of the Year, Joel Ngodzo, speedy forward, Donald Teguru, and midfielder, Tafadzwa Rusike, featured for their Zambian sides on Sunday.

It was a tumultuous 48 hours as Covid-19 positive cases, at the eleventh hour, threatened the restart of the league which had been suspended for four months.

Former Dynamos striker, Evans Katema, had been set to get the ball rolling on Saturday after he was named in the Zanaco starting XI for the first match on Saturday at the Levy Mwanawasa Stadium in Ndola.

However, that match was called off, at the last minute, when 28 members of the Forest Rangers squad tested positive for Covid-19.

Fitness expert Thompson “Marubber’’ Matenda, was also supposed to be in action that day with his club Zanaco, where he is the team’s fitness coach.

Matenda has been given a new nickname, “Sekuru,’’ at the Zambian club.

All eyes had been on the scheduled match between leaders Forest Rangers against 10th placed Zanaco which would have marked the restart of the league after four months.

However, after 28 of the Forest Rangers players and staff, from their squad of 58, tested positive, authorities were forced to postpone the opening match.

The episode caused uproar with Zanaco, who demanded the three points after travelling to Ndola on Friday but were only informed hours before kick-off, on Saturday.

And later on Sunday, two players each from Zesco United and Power Dynamos, tested positive in overnight testing conducted by health officials following Saturday’s chaos and had to be quarantined.

Zesco United are home to Zimbabwean midfielder, Tafadzwa Rusike, who played in the match against Kansanchi Dynamos which ended in a 1-1 draw.

Zambian Minister of Sport, Emmanuel Mulenga, announced at a press briefing in Ndola on Sunday, after another emergency meeting with Football Association of Zambia, club representatives and health authorities that the show must go on.

Power Dynamos then got the show on the road with a 1-1 away draw against Buildcon, the team which fielded two Zimbabweans — former CAPS United midfielder Ngodzo and speedster Teguru.

Buildcon, who are now under the guidance of former Highlanders midfielder and coach, Kelvin Kaindu, remain in the bottom half of the league.

This was Kaindu’s first match in charge following his appointment during the lockdown.

Buildcon are tied on points with Kansanshi Dynamos, who are just above them in 14th place, after they held hosts and defending league champions Zesco by the same scoreline in the late kick-off.

But, the chaos of the first day of the restart of the league highlighted the challenges which authorities will face.

League leaders Forest Rangers pulled-out of their home date against Zanaco, at the last minute, as officials scrambled to find a way forward.

Forest issued a statement, just hours before kick-off, that they had 28 positive cases from the 58 taken last week by the Ndola club.

Zanaco had already travelled to Ndola and FAZ assigned match officials for the match at Levy Mwanawasa Stadium before Forest dropped the bombshell.

FAZ secretary-general, Adrian Kashala, later on Saturday morning held an emergency meeting in Ndola with Ministry of Health officials, Director of Sports John Zulu, National Sports of Council of Zambia acting secretary-general, Raphael Mulenga, and FAZ vice-president Rix Mweemba.

“We have not received any official correspondence from the Ministry of Health on the 28 positive cases recorded by Forest,” Kashala said after the emergency stakeholders meeting.

“Other games will continue as scheduled while we look into the case of Forest Rangers and Zanaco FC.”

Zanaco players then took to the field to for pre-match warm-up but Forest stayed put in the dressing room.

“We had a meeting with FAZ, we have discussed the entire episode and all of us were looking forward to kicking the ball and playing competitive football but our opponents have reasons why they didn’t play,” Zanaco chief executive, Marlon Kananda, told his players after trooping back to the dressing room.

“The reason they (Forest) have given is their team tested positive – 17 of their players – but they are issues around that and that is being sorted out by the relevant people.

“We have made it very clear to them that we travelled for this game. If they knew that the team was not ready, (but) our colleagues did their tests last week, and got their results on Thursday, so they knew.

“There is a lot of confusion and we have told FAZ we will not play Forest, and to us this is a win, and we should now start focusing on playing Nkana on Wednesday.”

Zanaco later released a media statement.

“Our match against Forest Rangers did not take place. It has been postponed to a later date. We remain positive and shift our focus to next weeks match against Nkana FC on 22nd July 2020,’’ the club said. Zimbabwean striker Katema was set to make his debut for the Zanaco after he was named in the team for the first time since joining the club back in February.

Forest came into the restart with a narrow one point lead on 46 points, from 24 games, with a match in hand.

Zanaco are 10th on 35 points from 21 points, with four games in hand, including the Forest match. — Sports Reporter/Lusaka Times