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Danai Chitakasha Special Correspondent

LIVERPOOL lost the Champions League Final to Champions League football heavyweights Real Madrid in Paris on May 28, 2022.

The pain was felt among the Scousers in the city of Liverpool. And the pain was also felt in cities like Harare, Bulawayo and many others in the diaspora which Zimbabweans now call home.

Many also celebrated the defeat because in their own words “Liverpool fans vanotaurisa (Liverpool fans talk too much)!”  If the team had won, they argued, it was going to be difficult to live with the endless gloating, especially on the various Facebook groups where Zimbabwean football fans congregate!

I have to admit, however, that there were many tears for Liverpool. I know a lot of die-hard Liverpool supporters. Zimbabwean football legends such as Cephas Chimedza, George Mwando, Frank ‘’Dealer’’ Nyamukuta and scribe Albert Marufu are all red at heart. I watched the match with my brother Godwin Chin’onzo. I was willing for Liverpool to win because I knew the happiness of my brother was at stake.

He loves the team and has followed them since the early 80’s. In the end, we were all heartbroken. Real Madrid did what they do best, win the Champions League, making it title number 14. The trophy is indeed their totem.

How did we become attached and addicted to foreign teams, especially in the English Premier League? Yes, our attention is often captured by other leagues as well with clubs such as Barcelona and Real Madrid in Spain; and AC Milan in Italy. These clubs have many fans among Zimbabweans.

Let me explain the Liverpool fandom first. I think a large contributing factor was the presence of Bruce Grobbelaar as the club’s undisputed number one from 1981 to 1994.  With the advent of Independence, the international football world was opened to Zimbabwean football fans.

Having one of their own at a massive club like Liverpool recruited many fans for the club.  Another player who had this impact was John Barnes. Seeing one of the few black players dazzling opponents with his repertoire of skills captured the hearts of many Zimbabweans.

John Barnes was great and is among the pioneer black players who defied the odds and the scourge of racism which was then rife in English football. A picture of him in those tight fitting shorts back heeling a banana peel thrown on the pitch by a racist fan captured the challenges these black players had to face.

Liverpool also had Ian Rush and Kenny Dalgish. I remember Rahman Gumbo was nicknamed “Rush” which goes to show how Rush was popular in Zimbabwe. It is the knowledge of these players which made many Zimbabweans follow Liverpool.

Incidentally even a less popular player like Craig Johnson was a hero for some. A friend, Charle Makuwerere, named his son Craig after the Liverpool Australian winger.

In general terms, the fact that Zimbabwe was a colony of Britain made many Zimbabweans familiar with most British clubs. Football was introduced in this country by white missionaries and according to research was used as a tool of social control. According to various scholars, football was used to promote discipline, good behaviour, sobriety and cooperation among blacks.  The African Welfare Society was used by the white rulers to promote football.

The cultural links with Britain made many Africans aware of many British teams. After Independence a number of programmes were used to promote the English league in Zimbabwe.

As young boys in the 80’s we had glimpses of the English league (it was mostly English, never Scottish) through programmes such as The Road to Wembley. This I think traced the journey of many teams in the FA Cup. Televisions were not easily available during this era but those who owned them were willing to share. It was common to have all the children from the hood congregate in the dining room of a well to do family which owned the magic screen to watch the highlights.

Programmes such as Big League Football, Gillette World Sports Special, Transworld Sport and The English League Football Highlights all helped to expand our football knowledge beyond the borders of Zimbabwe. The Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation showed us all these programmes. Like a drug, the English game slowly took control of our faculties and before long we became addicted.

In the 80’s and 90’s, there were many football stars in our local league.  I started supporting CAPS United in 1981 and like many other fans, I was spoiled by the quality in the team. Up to know, I still remember the various training sessions which I attended at Zimbabwe Grounds in Highfield and the great matches they played at Gwanzura Stadium.

I rarely missed a match and many times I had to escape the strict clutches of my father who wanted the whole family in church on Sunday. I always found a way to be at Gwanzura Stadium to watch the boys in Green, ‘’Shaisa  Rufaro’’.

This was the experience of many young men and adults too. We were aware of the English League but it had not totally taken over our attention. However, slowly but surely, the addiction took over and to date it has reached unprecedented levels.

Liverpool, Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham are the most popular English clubs in Zimbabwe.

Moneybags Manchester City have also come to the fore and now have a lot of supporters in Zimbabwe.

The Manchester City fans are often crudely referred to as plastic fans, especially the older ones. People ask: “Which team did you support before Man City became so successful?”  It is a cruel question to ask.

The truth, however, is that we are all plastic fans, renting at these various clubs. There are various reasons which enticed us to follow the clubs but to be honest these are not really our clubs. Our Clubs are Dynamos, CAPS United, Highlanders, FC Platinum, Banket United, Trojan Mine and Chegutu Pirates, among others.

My decision to include clubs like Banket United and Trojan Mine, among others, is deliberate and is also a challenge. Where I currently live, here in Cambridge, England, I know two fans. One is a Cambridge United supporter, his faith in the team is total despite them playing in the English League Two.

He told me: “ I only support Cambridge United, I do not give a toss about the likes of Manchester United, City or Arsenal. Cambridge United are my team because I was born and bred in Cambridge!”

The other fan is from Luton Town but is currently working in Cambridge. Every time I see him on weekends, he will be wearing a Luton Town shirt. “This is the best club in the world, I will not support any other!” he declares.

I think this approach to football support is replicated in most towns in England, they support their local clubs even if they are not the most successful. These are true fans; they do not chase success. This should be the case among us but can we do it?

However, football is a universal sport and goes beyond boundaries and Zimbabweans should not be castigated for expanding their football horizons. The presence of many African stars have also contributed to the growth of the English Premier League in Africa and Zimbabwe.

The likes of Jay Jay Okocha, Nwankwo Kanu, Didier Drobga, our own Benjani and Peter Ndlovu have played a part. So let us enjoy the league!

What I caution against is the total neglect of our football in pursuit of the glory brought about by English Premier League clubs. We can celebrate with Manchester City when they win the league but let us not forget Dynamos, for example. We can admire the beautiful stadiums like the Emirates Stadium and Etihad Stadium in England but let us not forget Rufaro, Gwanzura, Barbourfields and Sakubva, among others.

This is the biggest challenge, the English Premier League and other leagues like the Spanish La Liga should not be an escape from our harsh reality. Let us work very hard to improve our clubs, structures and football infrastructure so that we can be proud of our football as well.

Indeed, our love for the English Premier League continues to grow and to be fair the English Premier League continues to attract the best players. Hot shot Norwegian striker, Erling Haaland, recently moved to Manchester City. Any football fan will definitely look forward to the new season because of this new addition. So we cannot fight the league, we just have to learn and hopefully be able to replicate this in our country.

In conclusion, I have to admit that though CAPS United are my first love, I follow Arsenal very closely. How did this happen? Well, I was enticed by the goal scoring talent of Ian Wright, the silky skills of Dennis Bergkamp and the gritty midfield dominance of Patrick Vieira. Then Nwankwo Kanu arrived, for me Kanu was the icing on the cake!

Indeed, many Zimbabweans have an English Premier League club which they call their team. I know veteran football commentator Charles ‘’CNN’’ Mabika supports Middlesborough. Why Middlesborough, one might ask? This is a question the affable legend has never answered. If I am to hazard a guess, I think it was because of Juninho, the little Brazilian magician who lit the Riverside Stadium in the late 90’s!

The only fan I interact with who does not have a foreign team is Tuzinde Mpofu. For him, it’s Dynamos and Dynamos only. My respect to the man!

From Zambezi to Limpopo, from London to all the cities where Zimbabwe citizens are settled the English Premier League unites us! Football goes with the heart so I will be generous and say, support “your teams “ but do not forget, “Charity begins at home!”. Let us grow our league, make our teams better and then slowly our love will grow again!

What must be done? It is a big question and hopefully one day we will find answers!

Sisonke!