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WISEMAN FROM THE EAST . . . Fungai “Tostao” Kwashi gives his own views on the latest appointment of Ian Gorowa as the new national soccer team coach in Harare yesterday

Ellina Mhlanga Sports Reporter
FORMER CAPS United striker Fungai “Tostao” Kwashi said there is need for the nation to have faith in local coaches and create a conducive environment as the country seeks to bring back the glory days in football. Kwashi, who recently returned back home from his base in Vietnam where he was playing for Huong Vuong An Giang, said he believes that newly-appointed Warriors coach Ian Gorowa has what it takes to lead the national team in their quest for success but noted that there is need to give him time and for the Zimbabwean football stakeholders to invest in the sport as well.

“I think Ian Gorowa is a great coach, he is intelligent, he is well-educated and a hardworker. I think he will do a great job if given time, resources and faith.

“People need to believe in him, in any project you need to have faith and patience, so I suggest we give him time to his project because it does not help to change coaches every time. You need to give someone a tenure whether it’s two years or three years then we judge them.

“I know results are very important in the business but I believe in Gorowa. He has coached in South Africa, he has coached abroad and he used to be a player too so he brings a lot to the table and as a Zimbabwean he has that passion.

“Stephen Keshi won the African Cup of Nations with Nigeria, so I think it’s high time we start believing in our local coaches,” said Kwashi.
Kwashi said there is a new generation of good coaches in Zimbabwe such as CAPS United gaffer Taurai Mangwiro and Dynamos’ Callisto Pasuwa but other stakeholders need to come on board.

“This is a new generation of coaches that has come in — Gorowa, Pasuwa and (Taurayi) Mangwiro (of CAPS United). There has been a transition over the years from coaches like my father Steve Kwashi, Sunday Chidzambwa and the late Ashton Nyazika.

“It’s like these guys have got the torch now, so I just believe we should give our own people time and educate them. We need to invest in them but the most important thing in our football is money, if there is no money there is a big problem. We need all the stakeholders, especially the Government, to put money whether it’s the ministry of sport or whoever, they need to take sport seriously because football is now business,” Kwashi said.

The 33-year-old said for the sport to thrive, all stakeholders have to come together and address their differences if there are any instead of blaming each other.

“We need to unite for the benefit of the sport. Let’s find a way for our football to be a success because this is about the nation and Zimbabwe is for us all. We can spend time arguing and blaming each other but it’s not only Cuthbert Dube here, it’s soccer that suffers at the end of the day.

“Other countries have sponsors, the government comes in and if there are any problems, any areas they are not happy with they sit down and talk to address those challenges. If there is need of restructuring let’s do that, if there is mistrust let’s find a way to address it instead of arguing all the time. This is our country, it’s a national thing,” said Kwashi.

Kwashi, who has been plying his trade in Vietnam for the past eight years, said he will be weighing his options on the local scene and abroad as he considers his next move after the expiry of his contract with Huong Vuong An Giang at the end of the season early this month.

“I signed for a season and (the contract) has ended now. They will start in January, the issue is we had some problems on the structure because there was recession in Vietnam and it has been a transition season so basically the next season starts in January or mid-February next year and I will be here for the next months.

“I am a free agent right now, I will see what I can get through my contacts whether it is local or abroad. Right now I am being open-minded about everything and I will pray to God to open the doors for me. He is the one who has been opening the doors for me all these years, so I know He has a plan for me.

“I will ask around, I have contacts and I will see what I can get. If I can play here for the next five months there is nothing wrong, that’s where I started plus home is best at the end of the day. You can go anywhere but there is no place like home. I am just leaving it to God and I will just do my best,” said Kwashi.

Kwashi said his stay in Vietnam has been seen him developing into a better player over the years.
“I have grown along the way, now I am 33 years old when I went there I was 25. I was younger and now I am a veteran. But all through the years out I have developed, as time goes on you learn things, you adapt and I am still learning, everyday you learn. Just put God in everything you do and everything works well for you in good times and in bad times you just have to be faithful,” said Kwashi.

Kwashi, who began his career as a CAPS United junior player under the guidance of his father Steve “The Dude” Kwashi in the late 1990s, noted that there is need to also invest in the juniors as they are the future national team players.