It is not all gloom and doom for the ex-footballer
By Lot Chitakasha
With worrying regularity, we read heart rending stories of ex-footballers who have fallen on hard times. Every time such cases are highlighted in the media, we are all united in our desire to see measures put in place to help these legends.
Our indignation is justified for we feel that legends like George Shaya, Nyaro Mumba and many others deserve better treatment from the game that gave them fame but very little fortune. What about the other side of the coin? What about those ex- footballers who have made it in life after their playing careers are over? Can their cases give us hope? The purpose of this article is to highlight such success stories and they are many.
The accepted wisdom is that footballers struggle after their playing days because they are generally uneducated and life after football is bound to be tough after those glory years because of this lack of academic preparedness . This myth of the uneducated footballer has been repeated with such regularity that it has come to be accepted as fact.
Many believe that one cannot excel at both academics and sport. In fact the attitude that boys who are talented at football are most likely to fail in their academics is so engrained in most educationists’ minds that little effort is made to encourage these talented boys and girls even. Interestingly, this attitude is not the same with boys talented at rugby or cricket, I wonder why.
Allow me to share briefly my personal experience. I was teaching at Mt. Selinda High School when this young man came to live with his uncle. One look at him and I sensed that he was something special. After a brief chat ,he told me that he had dropped out of school due to family circumstances.
He was eager to continue with his studies and he also told me that he was a talented footballer. After a brief training session, I was convinced. My Headmaster was not too keen to enrol the boy. His reason, “Vakomana webhora vane misikanzwa…football guys are naughty…”
I did not give up and after constant nagging and endless knocking on his door , he eventually relented. He however made it clear that if anything went wrong, it would be my responsible. I was happy to put my head on the block because of what I had seen the boy do on the pitch but also because I firmly believed that he needed the education in future though he was clearly destined to be a footballer.
The boy, Malvern Matselele behaved well and helped the school establish itself as a force in Manicaland. We had not beaten our local rivals, Gaza High school who had in their ranks the bustling striker Eddie Dube who went on to play for Tanganda, Black Rhinos and Highlanders. With Malvern in our team or Makinka as we had baptised him, we turned the tables. The boy was amazing and he went on to play for Tongogara and Highlanders.
Academically, he knuckled down and attained the magical five O- Levels. This was a proud moment for me because I knew he had a basic education to fall back on in future. Indeed teachers can play a role to encourage these boys and girls and make them realise their potential l both academically and on the football pitch.
I have to admit that there are some cases of footballers who have openly declared their dislike for school. Moses “Bambo” Chunga is on record of having said that school was not his cup of tea. This is understandable, not everyone can excel but this should not influence the thinking of educationists. I must add that I have the utmost respect for Bambo.
Despite his academic limitations, he still managed to work in Belgium at time when most of us had not travelled outside the country. His deep knowledge of the game and life in general surpasses anything that can be found in books.
Many footballers have excelled academically and have gone on to live decent lives after their playing careers are over. Dr. Rodrick Muganhiri was one such high profile case. He played for Black Aces and Ziscosteel. He was highly regarded as a great player but gained even more respect because of his academic prowess.
At the time of his death he was working in Kwekwe as a doctor. Tauya Murehwa is another example. As a student doctor at the University of Zimbabwe, he set the premier league alight with his dazzling runs, winning the 1995 soccer star of the award in the process. He went on to play in South Africa and after his playing days were over has continued to work as a medical doctor.
Alois Bunjira is regarded as one of the most confident and articulate of former footballers. It is not surprising that after his playing days he has gone straight into football commentary and he is the brand manager of Caps United football club. He prepared himself well by gaining qualifications in marketing and media. This clearly shows that life should continue after a football career.
I have had the honour of interacting with many of these former footballers. I have met Francis Nechironga, the bustling former Caps United, Rio-Dairiboard and Acardia United striker who is now a forensic nurse. Prior to that he worked for 13 years as teacher in Zimbabwe. Chamu Musanhu is now a qualified football scout.
This is one route that many footballers have not bothered to explore and Chamu has shown the way. Mpumelelo Dzvova is a qualified aircraft engineer and Ali Casssim is also an electrical engineer. I was inspired by the case of Ali Cassim the former Dynamos midfielder. According to Pindula, Ali withdrew from the University of Zimbabwe after enrolling for a Bsc Honours in Engineering because he could not afford the fees.
The Footballers Union of Zimbabwe offered him a loan and he continued with his studies at the Harare Institute Of Technology. He is now a qualified Engineer and the FUZ deserves a pat on the back for making this possible by granting the loan. The FUZ is led by Desmond Maringwa the former Dynamos midfield lynchpin who is proving to be a capable trade unionist for the footballers.
Other notable success stories include Arnold Tsunga, the former Tanganda midfielder who is a lawyer, Lloyd Hlahla of Masvingo United, a trained teacher and Liberty Masunda formerly of Blackpool who is a trained engineer.
I can also mention other ex footballers like Lloyd Jowa, Muzondiwa Mugadza, Bheki Mlotshwa, Collin Semwayo, Obey Murefu, Bernard Kuwana and Charles Kaseke. They have moved on from their playing days and have found new careers to improve their lives. I also had the pleasure of working with Japhet Mparutsa who has just penned his autobiography.
He is now a Pastor and has recently launched a sportswear fashion line, the Short cat label. Alois Bunjira is another footballer who has his own fashion label, the Gazza Wear label. This is a unique opportunity as these ex stars seek to maximise their brand names. Many world footballers have established their own fashion labels and it is good that our legends are exploring this avenue.
Indeed it is not possible for all ex footballers to be coaches and it is therefore imperative for some of them to embark on other careers. A sound academic background is vital and in this regard, teachers play a vital role. Rising stars should be encouraged to stay in school.
On the women’s side I have met with ex Mighty warriors goalkeeper Tafadzwa Mhunduru who has just finished a Computing Science degree. I was also encouraged to read about Rudo Neshamba.
An article in the Herald talked about how she had earlier abandoned her studies but is now in the final year of a journalism diploma. The realisation that she would need to survive after her playing career spurred her to pursue her studies with vigour. With these qualifications, the girls futures are guaranteed.
I accept that there are many footballers who have found the going tough after their playing days. We must continue to highlight their travails and seek ways to ensure that these incidences are minimised, but it is also important to present the success stories.
These success stories should also be told so we can finally put to bed the myth of the uneducated footballer, a myth bandied around with reckless abandon that it has almost become fact. From the above , the evidence proves otherwise. Nehanda Radio
