Maringwa soldier on

Maringwa Continues to Defy Odds [interview]

Harare, May 01, 2008 (The Herald/All Africa Global Media via COMTEX) --
JUST when many people thought he would throw in the towel and hang up his boots after being weighed down by a spate of injuries that followed a horrific knee injury he suffered in 2000, veteran Dynamos midfielder Desmond Maringwa has defied all odds and soldiered on.
Only last Sunday, Maringwa turned back the hands of time to the days when he was a raw teenager, when he illuminated Gwanzura with a vintage midfield show that inspired Dynamos to a crucial 1-0 victory over African Champions Etoile Sportive Du Sahel.

The 29-year-old Maringwa, who shrugged off injuries in the second half of last season to help Dynamos win a rare league and cup double, this week spoke about his time at DeMbare, the only club he has played for in his long career.
How does it feel having completed a remarkable recovery to play a part in Dynamos' league and cup double success last season?
Well! It really felt great to be part of the Dynamos team that won the league championship after 10 years.
To me it meant a lot because I was also in the team that had last won it in 1997. After the terrible injury, I spent three years without playing but I kept on praying to God and I said Lord please give me another chance to play and I thank the Lord for affording me that opportunity again.
What would you say was the turning point of your career after you had fully recovered and resumed playing?
I was really dogged by more injuries when I came back, maybe I had not fully recovered when I resumed playing because there was no balance in the muscle bulk of my legs.
The one that got injured (left knee) was a bit weak and even up to now it has changed the way I walk or run.
At times when people see me limp it is not that I would be in pain now but unfortunately I now run and walk with a limp as a result of that injury but I have fully recovered.
I think the turning point was in August last year after I had had a slow start to the season due to a quad muscle problem, which kept me out for another two months. I had played in the first six weeks of the season. When I came back in August there was no looking back and I was happy to play in the league and cup matches but I have had consultations with my doctor and I still have to go to South Africa for a review when we return from Tunisia.
Many players in your predicament would have long decided to hang up their boots, so what is it that drives you?
It is the passion, the commitment and the love that you have for whatever you want to do in life, no matter how hard it is.
I took it as a challenge so if you do not meet challenges in life you will not achieve your goals.
What happened to me really made me stronger as an individual.
But what is the secret behind your decision to stick with Dynamos in good and bad times?
It is really very funny because I grew up supporting CAPS United, I was so fanatic about them and I would cry if they lost. But it changed some time when I was still at school and I was amazed by Dynamos' huge following and I felt it would be nice if I played for all those supporters and that swayed my decision to go and train with the Dynamos Under-13 team.
From then on I decided that I would stick with this team but nobody knows what the future holds maybe I will leave Dynamos one day but they will always be my home.
You graduated from the Dynamos juniors; do you sometimes feel frustrated when you do not see a lot of the young players coming from the system?
It is really disturbing because there are so many great players who came from the junior system at Dynamos. I think it is only the system that needs to be corrected and I am sure that is addressed because we now have Elvis Chiweshe, who is fully in charge and has a couple of coaches working with him.
Hopefully it will produce results and we will see more players coming from there.
You have been rewarded with the vice-captaincy of the team, is this something that you expected given your long service to the club?
It is really not an issue to me because there was a time when I was offered the captaincy and I declined because I thought they needed to bring in somebody younger to carry the team and I would only come in to help as a senior player. In fact, because of my experience and the fact that I am always helping the other players I have always regarded myself as one of the team's captains.
One might say it has to do with my long service to but I think because of my on and off situation through injuries it would have been tough for the coaches to make me captain because they would have to debate whether I would always be there as captain.
So what are some of the highlights of your long career with Dynamos?
The time that we played in the Champions League final in 1998. It really gave me a feeling of what football is like and the time I played in the Warriors showed me what football entails.
Because I was playing in a team with a lot of senior and experienced players... Murape Murape and myself were the only juniors then, it made me grow up faster in the game because I learnt a lot from all those seniors.
How did it feel scoring that important winner against Etoile Du Sahel at Gwanzura?
It was great. I don't score that many goals but all the time it is all about the team because the result is what is important for me. It is not much of an issue who scores, what satisfies me is whether we would have played well as a team and done the right thing.
So how has been the reception from the club's fans after that goal?
They are really excited about it and have been congratulating me but again I tell them that it is all about the team because Rueben (Mhlanga) sent in a good cross from the left too. But it is still very tough for us because in Africa you have to concentrate highly for 90 minutes.
Having been part of the 1998 and 1999 squads that reached the mini-league, how long do you think it will take Dynamos to build such a formidable side?
It really takes courage and mental strength on the part of the players. Teamwork and team spirit also play a hand. In 1998 and 1999, we had so many experienced players some of whom knew that it was their only chance for success because they nearing the end of their careers. We had players in the 29-31 age group.
The current squad has youngsters but this is also a chance for them to market themselves and I think this can be to our advantage because they were really itching to play Etoile and test themselves against the big guys.
Right now they are all anxious to experience and feel what it is like to play a team like Etoile away from home and we are trying to bring in that experience and team spirit we had in 1998 and I am sure with that we can build another formidable side.
You have also been recalled to the Warriors, eight years on, what do you make of it?
It is a great honour and I give thanks to the coaches who have selected me and I will give my 200 percent effort whether it is for my club or my country.
If given a chance I will try to prove that I still have something to offer to the nation and I am itching to prove that I am up to it.
What lessons do you think some of the younger players can draw from your experience?
First and foremost, it is commitment. They have to have commitment and discipline. They also need to learn as much as they can about football because football takes you so much effort to reach the top but it takes you just a minute or two to relax and fall from grace.
So the youngsters need to have consistency and ask from the seniors who have been there already, it does not necessarily have to be seniors from their own clubs.
Having played in the Premiership for over a decade what do you think of the standard of the local game... is it improving?
I think firstly it has to do with the current economic situation but the kind of grounds we have in the country are not conducive for good football. They are so terrible and bumpy you can't really control the ball they way you want to. Of course, people might think it is the players but we need to improve the standards of the pitches first and the good players we have will show their game.
Shooting Stars, CAPS United, Highlanders, CAPS FC are all playing good football but if the pitches do not improve the standard will not come out well.
Although I cannot say the standard is improving I think it is still okay and considering that even as Dynamos we have done fairly well so far in Africa and that shows we are not too bad as a Premiership. I also believe if clubs are really sponsored well they will become motivated and players will give it their best, the players need to be provided with better training equipment too.
What, in your view, needs to be done to ensure the Young Warriors are as strong as your generation that would produce players who graduated into the senior team?
I think we must have continuity from the Under-17 right through to the top. Once you identify talent you must continue to build on the teams so that the national coach does not have a big problem assembling a team.
We should not be learning the basics at the senior team. This should be done at Young Warriors' level where you set time frames for the players to graduate into the Warriors.
Zimbabwean teams always do well to reach the finals of the Cosafa junior championships but after Under-23 they are always disbanded, I don't know why?
How have you as Dynamos players responded to the challenges of defending the Premiership title and playing on the continent?
The club has done well to acquire more players and I think there is enough cover so that if other players burn out or sustain injuries the depth will be there.
What do you think needs to be done when you travel to Tunisia for the return leg?
We really have to prepare very hard because the Tunisians use their home advantage very well but I think we have seen them now and we can plan for the game with the knowledge of how they play.
I must also say they are not a hard team to beat because we have seen their weaknesses and their strengths.
Have you thought about the possibility of the Confederation Cup should you lose to Etoile Du Sahel?
No, at the moment we are just looking at the game in hand. We have to finish the job first and see how it goes from there. We believe we can bring in a good result from there.
But are there any teams in the Premiership that you believe could possibly pose a threat to your bid to retain the championship?
It is really to early to tell but Highlanders, CAPS United, Motor Action and even pacesetters Kiglon are looking good but I don't see anyone taking it from us because we have a big squad and so many good players.
It will be so difficult to beat us for the championship.
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