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Danai Chitakasha

Special Correspondent

DID we have better football coaches in the past in Zimbabwe?

It is an argument often made by those who watched football in the past that the calibre of coaches was better and were able to deliver more exciting football than the current crop of coaches.

It is a generational debate which often leads the old heads to declare: “Kare takaona bhora!”

That is their way of keeping their football memory bank intact by protecting it from what they deem to be the impostors of the current generation.

But can this assertion pass the football test of scrutiny? Allow me in this article to interrogate this claim.

I started watching football in the early 1980s when I belatedly came to live in Harare. My early childhood had been spent in the rural areas and thus my exposure to the beautiful game was all but limited.

Of course, I knew about George “Mastermind’’ Shaya from the tales told by my brothers who visited the rural areas at Christmas. About the coaches, I knew nothing so it will be amiss for me to talk about the pre-Independence era.

When I arrived in the vibrant and then pristine capital city, my football eyes were opened and my football understanding deepened. Let me briefly talk about the coaches during these early years of my football journey.

I had a discussion with Francis Nechironga, the former CAPS United, Rio Dairibord and Arcadia United bustling striker, about his football experiences and how the coaches he worked under helped him.

He is a man I have known for over 40 years from his St. Peter’s Kubatana High School days so he always gives me an honest opinion.

I asked him about the late Obediah “Wasu” Sarupinda, his coach at CAPS United. He said: “When I went for trials at CAPS United, “Wasu” said: “Mupwere, wati unotamba bhora, unga kunde Ndunduma here?” And I responded: “I will try baba!”. “Okay, go and change and let us see what you have to offer!” The veteran coach said to me.’’

Two aspects of this conversation can be highlighted here. Sarupinda referred to Nechironga as “Mupwere” while Nechironga responded with “Baba”. For me this is telling because that interaction captured the relationship which often existed between the players and the coaches.

Coaches tended to be fatherly and treated the players as family members. This was important because until the formation of Black Rhinos Football Club by the Zimbabwe National Army in 1983, football for most clubs was very much part-time.

Coaches did not have as much time with their players unlike these days.

At best, teams had two or three-hour training sessions.

Man management was therefore key and the coaches had to create that bond with the players for that short period they were with them.

Said Nechironga: “Sarupinda was the kind of a coach you would like to leave everything on the pitch for. We all loved “Wasu” and we played for him! He was like a father-figure and wanted to know everything that was happening in our lives.

If you did not have a good performance, he was always calm and never got angry.

Tactically, he did not say much but his trust in the players was absolute!”

I had the opportunity to watch CAPS United training sessions at the home of grassroots football in Highfield, the hallowed Zimbabwe Grounds.

Sarupinda and the late Ashton “Papa” Nyazika were always jovial and joked a lot with the players. It was truly a relaxed atmosphere and yes, very few tactical discussions were made. Usually the players just had a jogging session and then played 11-a-side matches.

The coaching might have appeared rudimentary but the atmosphere was full of harmony.

I think there was mutual respect between the players and the coaches because of this family atmosphere.

Nechironga also told me about the late John Rugg, his coach at Rio-Dairibord. He expressed the same sentiments about mutual respect and the treatment of players as family members.

“John Rugg believed in physical conditioning and would run you into the ground but he made it enjoyable. We never complained because he treated us with respect and told us that the only way we could beat the city teams like Dynamos was to overpower them physically!”

With the advances in sports science, overworking the players in training is no longer encouraged. But it worked for yesteryear coaches and players. Interestingly, these players never lost form and they did not succumb to injuries. They literally played for eternity.

Consider a player like Joseph Zulu, who was a Soccer Star of the Year finalist for a record 11 consecutive years.  He was a super fit player and Rugg can take the credit for that.

Another coach who had this special relationship with players was the late Barry Daka.

Former Blackpool and Zimbabwe striker George Mwando told me a lot about this legendary coach.

“He knew that some of the players were running away from camp but he chose to turn a blind eye. He would then call you aside and tell you about the importance of maintaining discipline but rarely did he publicise our shenanigans. What happened in camp stayed in camp was his mantra!”

I would like to think that although many coaches had a good understanding of football tactics, they tended to rely more on their personalities to motivate their teams.

Modern coaches have the highest qualifications, their football knowledge is top-notch and that can give rise to a certain level of football snobbery.

Yesteryear coaches also tended to be more passionate about football. They loved the game and were in football because of this love. Can the same be said about the coaches these days? I think one can argue that the passion has gone out of the job.

Many people are attaining coaching qualifications not because they are passionate about the job but because the job offers them a career path which looks prestigious.

Since the much cherished CAF A License qualification is not easily available, the pool of coaches in Zimbabwe is not wide. The tendency therefore has been the recycling of coaches while those with CAF B or C Licenses wait in the wings. With this scenario, a certain staleness is inevitable and even arrogance can creep in.

The few with CAF A Licenses will be boasting: “Ndisu anhu acho!”

In the past, there was also a desire by teams to improve the performances of their coaches.  When Sunday (Marimo) Chidzambwa was embarking on his coaching journey in 1984, he was sent to Brazil by Dynamos. He went together with Sarupinda and I was amazed to see a picture of the two with none other than Brazilian football guru, Mario Zagallo, who was the instructor.

I think this desire by teams to improve their coaches prepared the likes of Chidzambwa for the career ahead.

Other highly qualified coaches were the likes of Tendai Chieza, who started off as a player/coach at Mangula (now Mhangura) before taking the then Super League by storm with Zimbabwe Saints.

Chieza also used his charismatic personality to get the best from the players.

I requested a comment from former Zimbabwe Saints and Warriors captain, Ephraim “Rock of Gibraltar” Chawanda, about the legendary coach.

He said: “Big Tee was like a father to us. He taught us not only about football but about life as well. A lot of things I learnt about life were from him. On many occasions, he hosted us at his house and this created a bond in the team!”

This was confirmed by none-other-than Mai Chieza herself who said in an interview: “We used to cook sadza for the boys, we viewed them as our extended family, we were one!”

It is no wonder therefore that Zimbabwe Saints played some great football in the 1980s as they clinched the league title in 1988, a season in which “Chauya Chikwaya’’ finished the whole year unbeaten in the championship race.

Credit must also go to Roy Barreto who was part of the “Chauya Chikwata’’ coaching structure.

By emphasising the personalities of the coaches, I am not dismissing their tactical nous. Many coaches were tactically astute. For example, Shepherd Murape was respected for his tactical innovation.

Let me add that one of the most effective tactical innovation in the first decade of Independence was by this man.

To accommodate an up-and-coming young winger, Edward “Madhobha” Katsvere, he moved Oliver “Flying Saucer” Kateya to left-back. It turned out to be an inspired move, one of the best coaching decisions in the history of Zimbabwean football.

Not all coaches during this era had this charisma and aura, some demanded results from their players and were renowned disciplinarians.

Gibson Homela and the late Mick Poole were two such coaches.

Homela was a no-nonsense taskmaster and players knew that there was a line that they could not cross.

Japhet “Shortcat’’ Mparutsa, the former Dynamos, Black Rhinos and Zimbabwe national team number one, told me about an incident which happened when they were in Kenya on national duty.

“We sneaked out of our hotel and went to the nearest drinking hole. After ordering two glasses of beer we settled in our chairs. Suddenly from a distance we saw Homela coming into the place. He was obviously checking for those who had escaped from camp.

“One look at each other and we were out of the place in a flash. Fortunately, Homela did not see us, otherwise we were going to be in big trouble!” said the “Shortcat’’.

Homela indeed was much feared by his players.

Poole was another one who was a disciplinarian and did not hesitate to remind the players of their obligations with a resounding clap. According to Mparutsa, Poole expected his players to carry themselves with pride. soldier!” he demanded and any lackadaisical approach was quickly punished.

I am not surprised by this approach, the coach wanted warriors and maybe that is why he came up with the term “The Young Warriors” for his Under-20 national team in the early 1980s.

The late Peter “Thunderboots’’ Nyama was also another respected coach, so much respected that when South Africa won the 1996 AFCON title on home soil, he was part of the coaching structure under Clive Baker.

Nyama was a gentleman of the game, he was committed and he used to travel the length and breadth of Zimbabwe looking for talent.

Nyama was a football man through and through and he did a lot for Zimbabwean football.

There were many coaches and all of them had their own strengths. They include coaches like Nyazika, who was a confident personality and was able to command respect from a galaxy of stars despite the fact that he never played top-flight football.

He was able to inspire his teams because of his confidence.

Around 1985, Wieslaw Grabowski arrived in Zimbabwe from Poland. Many players who worked under him attest to his modern approach to football.

Where players were accustomed to eating mounds of sadza before matches, the Polish coach encouraged them to eat healthy food in order to build their muscles. Sadza eating with “chicken feet” was an abomination to Grabowski. He also spent time teaching many techniques on the ball.

According to Alois Bunjira: “The coach would spend a lot of time doing ball control and shooting drills with a tennis ball.

The training session would not finish until he was satisfied that we had mastered the techniques.”

Tactically, Grabowski was also innovative and recently he said: “We must invest in individual tactical awareness among our players at an early age. Without tactical awareness, they will be running around like a headless chicken!” He loves that metaphor, “headless chicken”, and it captures the poverty of tactical awareness that he sees in Zimbabwean players.

Maybe that is harsh, but I feel that he has a lot to contribute to Zimbabwean football. Unfortunately, he seems to be a marked man by many.  As usual, it is Zimbabwean football which is the loser as we fail to tap into his vast knowledge of the game.

Lest I forget, tribute must be paid to the likes of Paul Moyo, he is the elder of the coaching fraternity and helped to groom many coaches among them Bernard Zikhali and Benedict “Grinder” Moyo.

Paul Moyo in any other country would get a “Knighthood” for his services to football.

Honourable mention must go to the late Misheck (Marimo) Chidzambwa, the first man to win a trophy as captain of Zimbabwe and as a coach, Cremio Mapfumo, the late Lovemore “Mukadota’’ Nyabeza, Charles “Dissa’’ Mandizvidza and Steven “The Dude’’ Kwashi (both late).

I should not forget to mention the junior coaches who did so much for the development of football. Four will suffice for now — Ali “Baba’’ Dube (The doyen of Zimbabwe junior football), Revai Matondo, Alois Patsika and Never Gombera. But there are many more out there. The work they did should not be forgotten.

I think it is possible to say we had great coaches in the early years of Independence and the competitive nature of the league reflected that. I feel that we had big characters, their personalities often shone through and at times compensated for their tactical inadequacies.

Said Mparutsa about Papa Nyazika: “When the going got tough, he would simply say, “Stike, Sinyo, Dhana, ingoitai hebede hebede ka tigowese bhora!”

Well reader, there is no football tactic called “hebede hebede” but the players understood. They had to take it upon themselves. That is the power of charisma, and coaches like Nyazika had plenty of it. Their players played for them.

We now have many young coaches working in our domestic league. Many of them are equipped with the best coaching qualifications. CAF A License, the epitome of football qualifications, decorates many homes. Among the crème de la crème of this generation are the likes of Norman Mapeza, Lloyd Chitembwe, Moses Chunga, Joey Antipas, Rahman Gumbo, Taurai Mangwiro, Jairosi Tapera, Godfrey Tamirepi, Tonderayi Ndiraya, Nesbert “Yabo’’ Saruchera and Nelson Matongorere.

They have worked hard to uplift our football but for many fans the jury is still out. I personally do not doubt their football knowledge; I think what they compare less favourably with yesteryear coaches is on charisma. They are more detached, maybe because of their professional approach. They keep a distance with players and the fans. This has given rise to allegations of arrogance against some of them.

Other young coaches like Genesis Mangombe of Yadah, Hebert “Jompano’’ Maruwa of Black Rhinos and Kumbirai Mutiwekuziwa of Herentals are also highly qualified but might lack the big profile of yesteryear coaches who also happened to be great players before they became coaches.

It is important to note that currently we have coaches who have also attained the highest level of coaching qualifications like a UEFA A License.

Coaches such as Mbwando, Benjani Maruwaru and Max Lunga, formerly Makanza, are currently out of the country and must be encouraged to play a role in the development of Zimbabwean football. Such football minds should not be put to waste.

Each generation has its football heroes. Did we have better coaches soon after Independence? I would argue that we had big characters who had a certain presence. The current crop of coaches is more qualified but some of them might lack the charisma which the yesteryear legends had in abundance.