Chidzambwa and Antipass for national team

By Nkanyiso Moyo

SUNDAY Chidzambwa will have a second dance with the Zimbabwe national soccer team after he was unveiled as the Warriors’ new coach on Thursday.
The Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) announced it would not be renewing current coach Jose Valinhos’ contract when it expires on December 31.
Chidzambwa, formerly known as Marimo, will be assisted by Shooting Stars coach Joey Antipas.
The two coaches were unveiled to the media at ZIFA House in Harare on Thursday.
With Brazilian Valinhos waiting to see out his contract, Chidzambwa and Antipas are expected to take charge of the Zimbabwe team that will host South Africa on November 30 in the Africa Nations Championships – a tournament designed for players from domestic African leagues.
The Brazilian, who was expected to be the architect of Zimbabwe’s qualification to the 2010 World Cup finals in South Africa and continental showpiece, the Africa
Cup of Nations finals in Angola, failed at the second of three hurdles for the two tournaments.
He flopped when he could only finish third behind Kenya and Guinea in the group qualifiers and a 4-2 drubbing by Namibia was the final straw. Zimbabweans were clear about that they had had enough of him and ZIFA.
Chidzambwa’s resume speaks for itself having won virtually everything on Zimbabwean soil as a player and years later as Dynamos coach. He was capped over 40 times for the country before and after Independence.
As Dynamos coach, he wrote himself a piece of history when he qualified for the African Champions League final in 1998 and in 1999 he was back in the business guiding the Harare outfit to the mini league stage of the same competition.
On his way to guiding his country to a first appearance in the Africa Cup of Nations finals played in Tunisia in 2003, Chidzambwa had won the country’s second COSAFA Castle Cup the previous year.
This year Chidzambwa was involved in the Dynamos structures as the most popular Zimbabwean team reached the semi-finals of the Champions League in the capacity of technical director to a team coached by David Mandigora a teammate during the team’s magnificent run of 1980-1983 a period in which they won four consecutive titles.

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Mapeza disqualified

MONOMOTAPA mentor, Norman Mapeza, was chopped out of the coach of the year award nominees as the Sports Writers Association of Zimbabwe, gathered for the selection in Kwekwe, on November 15.

Despite taking over an average team to save it from relegation, last season, to inspire it into topping the table having outwitted champions, Dynamos, Highlanders and Caps United, Mapeza still was stripped off of the tag –coach of the year.

SWAZ Marketing director, Charles Mabika told reporters before they could hand over their nominees ‘Monomotapa was sanctioned for not playing the CBZ FA Cup semi-final and Mapeza precipitated the violence –we are condemning violence in the strongest terms.’

‘So for this reason Mapeza is out,’ Mabika added.

For a coach who has been outstanding with his leadership and coaching skills, Mapeza was with no doubt, the man for the title despite being a reserved character to the media, therefore failing to share his vast knowledge of the game with the people.

He has passionate love for football that drives him to be very vocal and critical of the referees, hardly sitting on the bench, during his matches.

A man who would certainly react to any kind of provocation such as the incident at Sakubva stadium, a fortnight ago.

That is the character of the former national team skipper –and starving him of a well deserved coach of the year award meant overlooking his achievement so far to focus on an incident any human would have reacted the same way.

There were mixed feelings among the panel of selectors in Kwekwe, last weekend, as some sports writers felt that ‘Mapeza had been treated unfairly’

Standardsport’s veteran sports editor, Lloyd Mutungamiri, told The Zimbabwean ‘that criteria is embarrassing on our part, my position is, whoever shall be awarded, should do the right thing and hand over the award to the person who deserves it; who in this case is Mapeza.’

‘I have known Mapeza since his days at Darryn-T and he will never point a finger at anyone,’ Mutungamiri added.

The decision left eyes focused on Dynamos head coach, David Mandigora and Njube Sundowns’ Philani Ncube.

Mandigora has been in charge of the Glamour Boys during their campaign in the MTN Caf Champions League, in which De-mbare emerged one of the top four teams on the continent.

He has a good record of discipline on and off the field.

But the shoes for the coach-of-the-year are simply big for Yogie.

Dynamos is one of the teams, if not the only team with talented players from the first eleven, right through their bench, a team that can afford resting stylish midfielder, Justice Majabvi, Edward Sadomba, goalkeeper Willard Manyatera –selected as 2008 CBZ PSL soccer stars of the year- and go on to win a match.

It is not to take away anything away from Yogie, but after the dubious substitutes during league matches, the surprising starting line-up against Al Ahly, at Rufaro stadium, he is one coach the nation can only admire for his character and determination but not trust as coach of the year.

Ncube of Sundowns has done a commendable job in leading his team into the top three teams on the table, with his charges remaining consistent in the league.

He is potentially a 2008 coach-of-the-year after Mapeza’s expulsion.

Cup Semi-final mess

The CBZ FA Cup semi-final was a dismal failure last weekend with the rival match between Dynamos and Caps United never reaching the final whistle.
In Mutare, the two teams Monomotapa and Eastern Lions never took their battle to the park, but Mapeza and his charges left for Harare, following the former national team captain’s assault.
Mapeza was assaulted by a named member of Eastern Lions’ supporters committee who gave hit him in the face, giving him a cut on top of his left eye. He was treated and given two stitches before he left Mutare, but some officials in the football circles have argued that, Mapeza ‘should have at least played under protest.’
‘Sometimes it is of no use to complain, when you know your complaints will not be considered. I can not risk my players in any way,’ Mapeza said.
Meanwhile, referee Tendai Bwanya was unfortunate to be in charge of the whistle during a period when local referees have been criticized for dubious officiating, a time when Dynamos supporters were hungry to watch their team revenging Caps United of the ABC Sup8r semi-final victory.
‘We would rather be beaten by schoolboys, Prince Edward than be outplayed by Dynamos,’ a Green Machine follower said.
There was tension, but Bwanya handled it fairly. He didn’t fall for Edward Sadomba’s professional dive in the box, 19 minutes into play and the only blunder of the day was when he did not award the reigning league champions a penalty, when in the 35th minute, defender David Kutyauripo handled in the box.
He certainly could not have made a remedy by awarding Justice Majabvi a penalty after a foul by Method Mwanjali, just outside the box.
Unfortunately without a replay of the action, the infuriated Dynamos supporters in the terraces could not forgive Bwanya and started throwing things on the pitch. The match was abandoned with the Green Machine leading 2-1.