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Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Monoz: A cunning fox?

BY GRACE CHIRUMANZU
Zimbabwean champions, Monomotapa, travelled to Malaysia for a friendly match against their hosts’ national team, last Sunday, to be beaten 4-0, as they prepare for their MTN Caf Champions League tie against Tunisia’s Etoile du Sahel, this weekend.
It has emerged Monoz duped Malaysia into believing they were playing a national team, Zimbabwe, as reports from Malaysia flashed headlines of a youthful side beating the Warriors of Zimbabwe.
It was a good challenge for Monoz who are preparing for a tough assignment in the African Safari. But a burden for the Malaysians who had previously refuted to host Liberia because they were not in a position to send their national side for the FIFA recognized international friendly.
Zifa have since been criticized for passing the league champions to travel as the national team, as much as the Malaysian soccer board will face criticism from their fans for not checking the truth about their opponents as they did with Liberia.
“Just because there was FIFA recognition does not mean both teams are obliged to field their 'best' teams,” said a football fan from Malaysia.
“Zimbabwe could easily use the excuse that they are trying out some new faces. As for Malaysia, they simply didn't exercise due diligence in checking on their opponent, hardly a FIFA-punishable offence -although admittedly hilariously stupid.”
Although some reports from Malaysia have recognized Monomotapa as the premiership champions representing Zimbabwe, the Malaysia football governing board made it clear that they were duped into believing Zimbabwe sent a national team.
FAM's Datuk Azzudin Ahmad said, “as far as we are concerned it is the Zimbabwe national team. The acceptance letter even bore the letterhead of their national association (ZIFA).”
Zifa CEO Henrietta Rushwaya told The Zimbabwean she was on leave at the time Monoz travelled to Malaysia. But Malaysia’s media organization, Mailsport, learnt that Rushwaya, in both a letter and an email to FAM, confirmed that Zimbabwe would be sending their national team.
The misrepresentation was said to have costed FAM a bomb, according to some reports in Malaysia. Flight tickets from Harare to Singapore for the team of 20 were estimated at about RM200, 000. The bus ride from Singapore to KL is about RM1,200, thus making it RM2,400 for a return journey. The team stayed at a hotel. The stimulus room package sees a double occupancy room costing RM280 per night. That translates to RM11,200 for 10 rooms over four nights. So, this would have cost FAM about RM215,000.
But FAM has denied having funded for Monomotapa’s expenses while ZIFA continue to claim that the Malaysian football board has taken care of Monoz. The trip has a lot of questions as it is yet to be established who funded the league champions’ tour.
Monoz were in a desperate situation in need of a challenging friendly match as they prepare for their continental encounter, on Sunday (July 19), had everything to benefit despite losing a humiliating 0-4 defeat, away from home.
It was a good experience for the reigning league champions. But it is yet to be established if Monoz who played in the national colors, connived with Zifa to trick Malaysia or they innocently represented the inactive national team with FAM’s knowledge.

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Off the field with Willard Katsande

Former Highway midfielder Willard Katsande (pictured)- who changed camps to join Gunners FC during the midseason break -- told The Zimbabwean on Sunday’s Grace Chirumanzu in an interview last week of his burning ambition to be among the best on the local scene and to, hopefully, one day make a break into one of the big leagues abroad. Excerpts:

Grace Chirumanzu (GC): The first question obviously is about that incident when you were still with Highway and you were playing Dynamos when a group of DeMbare supporters threw some traditional snuff at you. What really was that all about?
Willard Katsande (WK): They had this crazy idea that I was using juju and all of a sudden they threw that stuff on my face. But I was never affected by what they did during the match and I continued to give my best performance. I have put it behind me and it has not affected my perception of Dynamos as a team.
GC: Why did you leave Highway for Gunners?
WK: They (Gunners) were impressed by my performance and they approached me and I chose to join them. I also received offers from Dynamos and Caps United but I chose Gunners because I like the fact that they are supportive of players who are fortunate to make the grade at bigger foreign clubs. I had no problems with Highway, I respect Highway because they made me into who I am today. It was when I was with Highway when I made my premiership debut, this year.
GC: What will you miss most about Highway?
WK: It was like family, there was no element of looking down upon each other and the club officials were so organized.
GC: The two weeks you have had to adapt and fit into the playing style of your new team seem so short, tell us, how has been the going so far?
WK: I believe the two weeks I have had are quite adequate. The players have welcomed me well and I think I will make a good combination with Ramson (Zhuwawo).
GC: And on the soccer pitch, which player would you say is or has been your toughest opponent this season?
WK: I would think it is Lionel Mtizwa of Caps United who gave me the toughest time in game we played them when I was still with Highway. We lost the match 1-0.
GC: How about the game in general, what misgivings do you have about the local game?
WK: It should be understood that the local game does not pay that much and soccer players can never really dream of buying fancy houses and cars after retiring from playing football. Maybe one day it will change for the better. It would be unfortunate were things to be allowed to continue the way they are.
GC: Who is your favourite local player?
WK: Highway captain Hebron Mukukutu. He is good. I used to watch him play when I was still playing in Mutare’s division 2 league and never thought I would one day play alongside him in the same team.



Fact File

Full names :Willard Katsande

D.O.B :15 January 1987

P.O.B :Mutoko

Nickname :Bute

Jersey number :17

Position :Central midfielder

Previous Clubs :Frontier Steel (2002-05), Feruka (2006-07), Highway (2007-09)

Current Club :Gunners

Zim hopes to upstage Tigers


HARARE – Zimbabwe national cricket captain Prosper Utseya (pictured)hopes his side will dig deep into their reserves to upstage Bangladesh in the five One Day International series set for August 7-19, at Bulawayo’s Queens Sports Club.

Zimbabwe face Bangladesh or the Tigers, as they known, after a six-month drought of international action, having last played Kenya in February.

Utseya acknowledged that the lack of international experience will continue to handicap the southern Africans but hoped their participation in the local league will give them the much needed match fitness.

“Of course we are lacking international experience but we have been playing a lot of competitive local games in the Logan Cup and also the Twenty20 and that should help us in match fitness,” said Utseya.

“This is our second net session in the 2009/2010 season and the boys look fit for the match. By next week (this week) we will be starting training more as a team and we have enough time to work on different areas of the game.”

Queens Sports Club has not been a favourite hunting ground for Zimbabwe. Statistics show that they have in recent years won more matches at Harare Sports Club than Queens, in Bulawayo. While recognising that the Bulawayo wicket has not been favorable to the team, Utseya pointed out that “we won most of our games here at Harare Sports Club because most of the players are from Harare and are accustomed to the wicket here”

Asked whether he was not worried of being visitors on their own pitch when they take on Bangladesh at Queens in all the five matches, Utseya told The Zimbabwean on Sunday that it will be an advantage to play the Tigers there.

“The ball turns as much at Queens and it will be better for us to play their (Bangladesh) spinners there,” he said.

The Zimbabwe skipper, who was part of the 2004-2005 side that used to give Bangladesh torrid times on the crease, said he did not envy the Tigers, who have since moved one place ahead of Zimbabwe on the International Cricket Council rankings. Bangladesh is ranked number eight ahead of ninth placed Zimbabwe.

“Bangladesh’s structures have produced a wide base of players for national team selection; unlike us they haven’t lost a number of players to other countries. That has been our biggest challenge; I think we have lost about three teams in a space of four years. They have greatly improved and gained the much needed experience as a team,” said the off-spinner.


Glamour Boys continue to shine


BY GRACE CHIRUMANZU

Former league champions, Dynamos, are sailing with determination towards the 2009 championship title removing all skepticism of their quest to reclaim their pride lost to Monomotapa, last season.
A 4-0 victory over struggling Beitbridge side, Underhill, at Rufaro stadium was enough evidence that DeMbare will not be out for any compromise, which will put them under pressure of claiming the title, come end of season.
But the pressure appears inevitable and will not be shaken off just by their winning streak alone, as a stubborn second placed Gunners continue to keep track of them, with victories each week.
Moses Chunga’s charges have remained consistent in the race for the prestigious title, giving Bambo all the reason to boasts of his side.
They beat Bulawayo giants, Highlanders, 1-0 in week 16 of the top flight football at Gwanzura stadium, last Saturday. Their newboy, Willard Katsande, acquired from Highway displayed some entertaining football the rest of the afternoon together with midfielder Tapiwa Mangezi and Ramson Zhuwawo.
Zhuwawo scored the solitary goal that rapped a bad week for the Bosso team, which was still mourning the death of their junior coach and former player, Themba Nkiwane.
Goalkeeper, Tafadzwa Dube, must have frustrated Bosso strikers who did all they could to attack for an equalizer as he continued to Gunners’ goal brilliantly, the rest of the afternoon.
Gunners are four points behind the league leaders and if both teams are not to drop points any time soon, Bambo and his charges will need to keep their winning form until week 29, when they face Elvis Chiweshe and his charges.
But for now, any compromising performance of the top two teams will see them lose their position to other competing teams, which will certainly not be left out in the battle for honors.
Caps United won 1-0 against Hwange at the Colliery, as the three points guaranteed them a third place ahead of Lengthens who were into a goalless draw against Black Rhinos.
Former Kiglon captain, Tawanda Nyamandwe, announced his arrival at Caps United with a goal that gave Lloyd Chitembwe’s team a good toss for the long tiresome journey back to the capital, from Hwange.
Their former player, Limited Chikafa, turned out for Shooting Stars, last weekend as his new side won 1-0 against Kiglon.
Reigning champions, Monomotapa, appear to be losing hope of successfully defending their title. They appear to be shifting their attention more to the African safari as their performance together with their position on the log table give much skepticism than confidence that they will successfully defend their title, this year.
They did not fulfill their week 16 fixture, against Highway last weekend as they travelled to Malaysia for some friendly matches, in preparation of their MTN Champions league match against, Etoile Du Sahel, in Harare, this weekend.
Psl secretary general, Kennedy Ndebele, revealed that they did not give them the green-light to skip their match and so Highway may be lucky to be awarded the three points.
Motor Action saw their twelfth draw of the season against Eagles, in a goalless encounter both coaches, Jostein Mathuthu (Motor Action) and Bigboy Mawiwi (Eagles) were out to give their new sides a taste of victory. Bantu Rovers won 2-0 against Njube Sundowns, at Barbourfields stadium.

http://www.thezimbabwean.co.zw/

Muripo kick the power out of World top fighters

WORLD CHAMPION... Third dan black belt Zimabwean karateka, Sensei Samson Muripo (middle) won the World middleweight championship title, in Osaka Japan, on June 30. Shihan (Master) Bas Van Stennis, who was awarded with the seventh dan black belt in appeciation of his karate works in Africa lauded Muripo's achievement saying Zimbabwe and Africa should be proud for producing their first World Champion. -By Grace Chirumanzu.