Fabisch, Dream Team brought back to life Reinhard Fabisch

Albert Marufu in LONDON, England

THE Dream Team and their coach, Reinhard Fabisch, have been brought back to life in a book dedicated to the Warriors of the 1990s.

The book, entitled “The Zimbabwe Dream Team. . .  So near yet so far”, was penned by Gweru-born author, Wellington Chingwaro, who is based in Manchester.

“There are many stories that I can highlight.  You’ll find out about the two Zimbabwean players who have scored past Peter Schmeichel,’’ he told The Herald.

‘’You’ll find out what Felix Mbidzo (Snr) has in common with Ian Wright and Peter Schmeichel. 

“You will get to know the story when Graeme Souness met Norman Mapeza, when Switzerland played Zimbabwe at Rufaro Stadium, when Romario played at the National Sports Stadium.

‘’When Coventry City hosted the Zimbabwe national team at Highfield Road and when Fabisch was mugged in Hilbrow, Johannesburg.

“The book also captures the moment when Romelu Lukaku’s father played at the National Sports Stadium and then, of course, the big games against Egypt, Cameroon and South Africa and the backstories.” 

The 274-page book is available on Amazon and is expected to be distributed in Zimbabwe soon. 

Chingwaro said he was moved to put together the story, in a book, by the need to provide a comprehensive record of a big part of Zimbabwean football history.

The never-ending debate, about who was the greatest Warrior between Moses Chunga and Peter Ndlovu, also contributed to the penning of the book.

“After one such debate touched on the Dream Team, I realised that I had so much information about Fabisch and his team,’’ he said. 

‘’I thought it would be a good idea to write about that near golden period in Zimbabwean football. 

“But, the book developed into a mini-history of Zimbabwean football although the main theme is the Dream Team.

“I wrote about 30 000 words of the book from memory. It would have probably taken me a month, to finish the book but, because of lockdown, some of the information I needed was difficult to get hold of.

“It was hard but exciting to bring together the high and low points of the team and the careers of the players and coaches involved. 

“Most of the players were foreign-based and in those days information about their progress was scarce. 

‘’It’s even more difficult to find the information now but somehow I managed to get hold of some verifiable information.’’ 

He is currently working on a biography of the late Zimbabwean boxing legend, Proud “Kilimanjaro” Chinembiri. 

“He has a fascinating story that deserves to be known,” said Chingwaro.

You Might Also Like

Comments

Take our Survey

We value your opinion! Take a moment to complete our survey