Tinashe Nengomasha to leave for Qatar

From Petros Kausiyo in JOHANNESBURG, South Africa

Zimbabwe international midfielder Tinashe Nengomasha looks set to leave Kaizer Chiefs before the start of the next season amid revelations that the South African Premiership soccer giants have agreed on a deal to sell him to a Qatar top-flight club.

Nengomasha, who has been with Chiefs for eight seasons, will join Al Ahly Doha of Qatar during the off-season break in a lucrative deal, which is reported to have proved too good to resist for Amakhosi.

Al Ahly Doha officially tabled a whopping R16 million four-year deal for the gritty Warriors midfielder to switch bases and move to the Middle East.

The 27-year-old former Black Aces midfielder arrived at Chiefs’ Naturena base together with striker Kelvin Mushangazhike after starring for Zimbabwe in the Cosafa Under-20 tournament in Johannesburg.

Nengomasha has since risen to become the heart and soul of the Chiefs midfield where he is also now the club’s vice-captain.

But according to top-selling soccer magazine — Kick-Off — Chiefs finally decided to sell Nengomasha after debating over the move for quite some time with Amakhosi seeking to cash in now when the Warriors midfielder is still contracted to them.

Nengomasha is expected to travel to Qatar on June 21 to have a look at the environment in which he will be playing.

Al Ahly are also understood to have made a bid for defender Valery Nahayo with the club from the oil-rich country tabling an R8 million offer which Chiefs also believe is more than they will get out of the player before his contract runs out in June next year.

“With such an enticing offer coming their way, it is no surprise that Chiefs found it best to release Nengomasha and benefit from him financially despite the good service he has provided for the club over the years.

“Moves to Europe have been mooted many times as Nengomasha has shown his best ever form since arriving at Naturena and ultimately Chiefs recognised that the move makes good business sense as the risk is that if they hold onto him they might lose him for nothing when his contract eventually expires,’’ wrote the magazine.

Nengomasha who last featured for the Warriors in their high-profile international friendly against Brazil at the National Sports Stadium was, however, reported to have been in the dark about the deal until the Chiefs management called them recently and told them about Al Ahly’s concrete offers for them.

But Zimbabwean agent Ralph Nkomo, who has a number of players such as Quincy Antipas under his portfolio, is understood to have facilitated the deal that could also take Ajax Cape Town’s Diyo Sibiso to Qatar.

“An enticing offer has also been tabled to the Urban Warriors and they have agreed in principle to take it should Sibisi like the environment in the oil-rich country.

“The Q-Stars League is viewed as a retirement zone as it is flooded by players in their late 20s and 30s from more competitive European Leagues,’’ the magazine said.

Such players like former France international Marcel Desailly, Argentina’s Gabriel Batistuta, ex-Nigerian star defender Taribo West and Paulo Wanchope finished their professional careers in Qatar.

Egyptian midfielder Mohamed Barakat also played in Qatar before returning home.

But with Nengomasha looking to round off a glittering career with Chiefs during which he won a host of league and cup titles, the Warriors midfielder will at this stage of his football also be considering more than just the low key playing environment he will find in Qatar.

The game might not be religiously followed in Doha as it is in Soweto where Chiefs are revered or in other professional leagues but for Nengomasha, it could be all about chance of life time to wind off his career with the guarantee of a more lucrative package.

Kaizer Chiefs and Warriors defender Thomas Sweswe has already backed Nengomasha to take up the offer and believes “it is the right time for the General to move . . . he has done almost everything for Chiefs’’.

While Nengomasha is preparing for a mega-buck deal in Qatar, fellow Zimbabwean international James Matola’s future at Free State Stars is reportedly clouded in uncertainty.

The prospects of Matola staying at the club following his return from a loan spell at Division One outfit Carara Kicks have been blighted by the club’s decision to sign three Congolese players.

Free State Stars are now under the guidance of former Dynamos and Warriors mentor Sunday Chidzambwa whom Matola was looking forward to working under again. They also have another Zimbabwean on their books, striker Kingstone Nkatha who had a fine end to the season. The Herald