By Ricky Zililo
Ex-Highlanders footballer Bruce Kangwa, who quietly sneaked into the country in March from his Tanzania base, is happy to be stuck at home during the Covid-19 lockdown.
The 31-year-old utility player, who turns out for Tanzanian Premiership side Azam, arrived in Bulawayo from his Dar es Salaam base on March 26.
His last match was on March 10, when Azam beat Ruvu Shooting 2-1.
Being stuck in Zimbabwe has been a blessing in disguise for the left-footed player, who spends most of his time at his Cowdray Park home.
“To be honest, somehow I’ happy to be stuck in Zimbabwe than being alone in Tanzania. When we played our last game against Ruvu Shooting, we were given some off days as authorities looked into the coronavirus issue and when a decision was made to stop training, I asked for clearance to travel to Zimbabwe and have been doing individual training at home,” said Kangwa.
“The challenge that I have is that I love training on a standard size football field, but now I can’t do that. The last time I attempted to go for a jog at a nearby ground, I met some police officers and they warned me and ordered me to go back home. However, besides missing football, I’ve been catching up with friends and relatives as my wife and son are overseas,” he said.
When matches were indefinitely suspended in Tanzania, Azam were in second position on the league table, trailing log leaders Simba by 17 points.
Azam are left with 10 matches before the season ends and it’s highly unlikely that they can pull a shocker and steal the title from Simba’.
“Even though we trail Simba by a huge margin, we haven’t lost hope. We have to try and finish strongly so that we secure a ticket to the Caf Confederation Cup,” said Kangwa.
A team that ends the season second in Tanzania’s league competes in the less lucrative Caf Confederation Cup.
Kangwa said once lockdown travelling restrictions are eased, he will fly back to his base to start preparing for resumption of the league. The Chronicle
