Like George Best, Chimutanda was a maverick and a flawed genius

By Lot Chitakasha

The faithful ones at Old Trafford, the self-proclaimed Theatre of Dreams and the home of football giants Manchester United, never miss an opportunity to proclaim the greatness of George Best.

He is a man they consider to be one of the greatest to don the iconic red shirt. They regard him as a football genius and the anniversary of his death is often an opportunity for the faithful to remember the great man and how he brought joy to the red half of Manchester.

In his home town of Belfast, the man is feted as a hero, the best thing to have happened on those shores. Despite his personal battles with alcoholism and other marital problems, the man takes pride of place in the nation’s consciousness.

He did say, “I spend my money on booze, girls and fast cars, the rest I just squandered…”. That was the man , the man also known as the “Fifth Beatle”. This brings me back home to our very own maverick and flawed genius, Archford “Chehuchi” Chimutanda.

Zimbabwe has always been blessed with great players and great midfielders in particular. The list of great midfielders is long. Players such as William Sibanda, Shaw “Kojak” Handriade, George “Mastermind” Shaya ,Max “Shaluza” Tshuma,Joel “Jubilee” Shambo,Six Mtizwa,Hamid “Muzukuru” Dhana, David “Chikwama” Mwanza, Robert Godoka, Titus “Yelloman” Majola, Willard “Mahwii” Khumalo, Benjamin “Makanaky” Nkonjera, Ronald “ Gidiza” Sibanda, Joe “Kode” Mugabe, Lyod “Samaita” Mutasa, the list goes on and on.

These were great players and with all due respect to the current crop, it will take a monumental effort for them to match these greats. This quality list becomes platinum if I add Archford “Chehuchi” Chimutanda a man who had the football world at his feet but lost it all due to a maverick streak in his character.

Those who watched Archie in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s accept that he was one of the most talented players of this golden generation of midfielders. He was a midfield maestro with amazing ball control, passing and scoring ability. Two players have mastered the chest control in Zimbabwe football folklore, Stix and Archie. Opinion is divided on who was better at the skill but popular sentiment seem to favour Archie. Archford also specialised in the out foot pass, a technique which reflected his ball passing abilities.

Apart from these impressive skills , Archie also scored some spectacular goals. I still remember the goal that he scored in a cup final at Rufaro stadium in 1982 against Caps United. He had just signed for Dynamos and formed a deadly combination with Hamid Dhana. With the scores at 2-1 in Dynamos’ favour, a corner was taken. The ball was lofted into the box and Duncan “Zico” Ellison came out to punch. He could only punch it to as far as twenty metres where Archie was lurking.

What happened next exhibited all of Archie’s qualities as a footballer. In one magical moment, he controlled the ball with his chest, cushioned it with his thigh before releasing a volley into the far corner of the net. The crowd rose to salute a work of art and Archie ran away to celebrate in his own special way. He always played with a smile and this connected him with the fans. The morning papers ran out of superlatives to describe his performance. Caps United had a strong midfield but in this match, Stix, Stanley Ndunduma and Joel Shambo played second fiddle to this genius.

However like George Best,who left Manchester United aged only 27 years and went on to play for over nineteen teams, Archie also lacked the discipline to pursue his talent to its optimum level. George’s battle with alcoholism is well documented.

His premature death on 25 November 2005 aged only 59 was a result of this scourge. Despite his super star status, fans will always wonder what could have happened if his discipline was better. Perhaps he could have been as good as Pele.

During my research, it was difficult to pinpoint whether alcohol was part of Archie’s problems. I think he drank without indulging to excess. What is common knowledge is that he hated training and thought that he was too good to train.

Charles Makuwerere a friend of mine who lived next door to Archie in the Cannan section of Highfield told me that he would miss training simply because he would be reading a novel in the back garden. Apparently, he was obsessed with James Hadley Chase novels. Charles would ask Archie, “ Mukoma Archie, it nearly five, are you not going for training?”

His response to this gives us insight into the character of Archie. He would simply quip, “Aah mupfanha, ndiri mambo webhora, rega vanonetseka naro vatraine…i am the king of football, let those who struggle train..” That was Archie, a man known for his maverick lifestyle, his humour and football banter. This made him a folk hero with the fans.

Despite not training with others, Archie would keep his fitness level by going on long road runs on his own. This explains why he was able to stay fit and perform at the highest levels for so long. He lasted for most matches and was rarely substituted. Sometimes however he would walk off the pitch with five minutes remaining if he felt that the match had been won.

Many stories have been told about Archie. The claim was that he would only attend training on Friday to pick up his football shirt. He would take it home then wear it to the stadium on match day. Apparently, he never carried a kit bag preferring to carry his boots in his pockets. He would play a blinder then appear on Tuesday to pick up his winning bonus before disappearing again until Friday. His approach depicts a man who regarded the game as a pastime. If I add his serial brushes with the law, a picture begins to emerge. He simply lived by his own rules.

Bernard Zikhali a former Ziscosteel player and coach made an important observation as I was carrying out this research. He pointed that Archie simply refused to be institutionalised. Even the great disciplinarian and great coach of the national team Joe Rugg gave up on Archie despite giving him numerous call ups. If Joe Rugg a renowned disciplinarian failed to tame Archie, then no one could.

I find this observation to be interesting. I do not profess to be a psychologist but I can hazard a few theories here. For instance why did he prefer to train on his own? Why did he move from one team to another? He was a rolling stone starting off at a boys’ club in Mufakose, moving to Glens Strikers in 1977, Black Aces, Dynamos, Bata Power and Arcadia United but he never really found a home.

Maybe Archie was just a street footballer who just wanted to have fun and would not be bothered with the rules. The idea of a regimented training regime did not appeal to him. Maybe he was just a loner who preferred life on his own hence the reason why he trained alone. Maybe the child in him was still dominant and simply refused to accept the authority of adults. Or maybe he was simply a scheming footballer who was aware of his talents and simply sold his services to the highest bidder.

Loyalty was the last word in Archie’s world just like the modern footballer who will kiss the badge of his latest team. Trying to put together the jigsaw of Archie’s thinking will not be easy and the above are just a layman’s speculations.

Ultimately, his talent without the commitment could only take him thus far. For a man whom many think was nearly as good as the great George Shaya, it is a shame that he never won the soccer star of the year award. Lack of commitment was the sole reason. Indeed his talent deserved better.

It was sad to hear about his last days , he had retreated to his rural home. His death signalled the end of this mercurial genius. We might never understand why he behaved the way did. The consensus however is that, like George Best, he was a flawed genius and we will always cherish his immense skills, skills which made fans call him “Chehuchi”, the one as sweet as honey!