Godknows Murwira battles weight gain

By Tadious Manyepo

Dynamos utility player Godknows Murwira says he needs time to shed his weight before joining the rest of the squad for group training which could start today.

Unlike his teammates, Murwira hasn’t been training at home during the seven months of lockdown as he has been recovering from a knee operation.

The versatile player suffered a nasty injury early this year and was bound to miss the first half of the season had the term not been cancelled due to Covid-19.

He was operated on four months ago, but took long to fully recover from the surgery.

And while his teammates and the rest of the players across all divisions were working on individual programmes availed by their coaches, the former Ngezi Platinum Stars man was gaining weight.

But he has fully recovered and is working on shedding weight before he starts normal training.

“Of course, Covid-19, as you know, is a bad thing and it shut the game. Our profession is football and without the game we obviously suffer physically and mentally.

“But for me the long break in football gave me some time to get operated on and some time to recover as well,” Murwira said.

“I am now fully fit and I have been training alone at home for the past two weeks. I am very happy for that, but I have lots of work to do ahead of me. Firstly, I have become weighty for obvious reasons.

“I haven’t been able do proper football exercises because I have been in a lot of pain. It is something that I have had to live with, but it has been very painful.

“I was operated on some four or so months ago and the wound took some time to heal so I have been sitting, doing nothing waiting for it to fully recover.

“I am now fit, but I have started with weight training. I have to shed a lot of kilos which I have accumulated as a result of the prolonged rest. We are athletes you know and we don’t have to be sitting doing nothing like I have been for the past three or so months.

“So the past two weeks have been hard for me as I have been running non-stop wearing uncomfortable clothes to lose weight.”

Murwira said the exercises have helped him a lot as he has lost significant weight over the weeks.

“I definitely cannot complain. The commitment has helped me a lot. I had become weighty but now I am almost back in shape. I am almost there now. I need to keep on working and all things being equal I should be joining my teammates for routine football training very soon, I would have shaped up.”

Murwira is on a one-and-a-half year loan spell from FC Platinum which ends this December.

However, the Zvishavane club have not made any interest in taking the versatile player back and Dynamos have opened talks with him for a permanent switch.

He was signed by FC Platinum from Ngezi Platinum Stars early last year, but saw little action under coach Norman Mapeza prompting him to request for a loan switch to the Glamour Boys — a club which gave him fame four years ago.

And he appears very much willing to rejoin his former club permanently, especially with Tonderai Ndiraya who propelled him to fame first at Dynamos four years ago then at Ngezi Platinum a year later, at the helm.

“I am not talking much about that (switch) now. But, what I can say is I am out to rediscover myself. I am very happy at Dynamos who footed all the bills for me to get treated after suffering that nasty injury.

“I am willing to work and repay them with my heart in the field of play.”

Murwira will be a key figure in Ndiraya’s ambitions as he is one of the senior players who know what the gaffer wants. The Herald.