By Batsirai Sango.
Football is arguably the country’s most loved and followed sport, and over the years has brought so much elation and thrill to the shores of the land between the mighty Zambezi and Limpopo rivers.
The erstwhile Euphoria was quite definite and deafening at the same time with late Legendary Musician Zex Manatsa composing music masterpieces for the biggest teams in local football that quickly became victory songs for those particular teams on match day.
It is not an everyday experience rather common feature that you have musicians composing songs in apparent affection of football teams, that just goes to show what a time and moment it was.
Which soccer fanatic from yesteryear even today would not know “ibhola seliphelile” in affection of Highlander’s football exploits, a song which has been played quite often and on a regular basis with Bosso relentlessly marching to the title this season.
“Tamirira Dynamos” in praise of Dynamos’ football exploits, “Makepekepe shaisa mufaro” in apparent affection to Caps United, “Chauya chikwata” for Zimbabwe Saints were some of the heat songs to top the charts all composed in praise and affection of the football heroics of these particular teams and many others that time.
You go to the English game Manchester United the Red devils as they are affectionately called have their anthem song GGMU translating to Glory, Glory Man United composed by Frank Renshaw and in our case of local football to have such speaks to the pride the entire nation still had in local football, which ultimately inspired the composition of the songs by Zex Manatsa.
Local football was spread throughout the entire length and breadth of our beautiful Zimbabwe then, with certain football fortresses immortalizing their place in local football folklore. You go to the small Midlands town of Zvishavane where yester year cup giant killers Shabanie hail from, who made Maglas stadium a nightmare for all visiting teams especially in the season they marched to the BP Cup glory in 2001 beating firm favorites Dynamos 1nil courtesy of a wonder strike from Thomas Makwasha.
It is through such cup tournaments and the commitment to invest by such prestigious organizations that such local football heroes introduced themselves to a football mad nation, your Thomas Makwasha, and Francis Chandida a player with a gifted left foot as deadly and sharp like David Beckham’s right foot.
Francis Chandida was the local football version of David Beckham as he made it a custom to score goals from freekicks around the 18yard area. And with such comparisons it brought more zeal to the game giving more impetus in development as well invoking more investment commitments.
It is such football tales that makes football in European leagues thrive and promotes a more passionate football fanbase. Anfield the home ground of English giants Liverpool has been famed over the years for working miracles for the Reds in Europe, the most recent being the 4nil 2nd leg demolition of Barcelona, having lost the first encounter 3-0.
Who can forget how Kwekwe outfit Lancashire Steel put to the sword the giants of local football one after the other at their home turf at Baghdad stadium, becoming almost unbeatable and Dulibadzimu stadium in the border town of Beitbridge playing home to then premier league outfit Underhill.
The players from these teams quickly became cult heroes in the very communities they played home to and easily identified with the local fanbase and also acted as a source of inspiration for young lads to take up football as a career. Washington Arubi, Justice Majabvi both former national team players were the most easily recognizable people in Kwekwe.
With the above mentioned one can simply tell what good times they were in football and with the crowd pulling prowess the sport still had it was the most convenient avenue in which businesses could make known their products and services to potential customers.
The business community was not to be outdone investing their monies into local football through sponsorship of cup tournaments, the most prestigious being the BP League Cup and by the turn of the new century was the league’s longest running tournament.
For those who may be wondering what the abbreviation BP stands for, it stands for British Petroleum one of the biggest oil giants in the world, and to have such an international organisation, firm investing their money into local football speaks volumes to the levels of football present at that time.
Who can also forget how Caps United the Green machine as they are affectionately known became Cup Kings of the land, through the very same BP League Cup, becoming the most successful team in the history of the Cup, bringing on to the scene such talents as Alois Bunjira, former national team goalie Energy Murambadoro and the late Blessing Makunike.
You also had the Madison Trophy sponsored by one of the biggest cigarette companies in the country sponsoring a cup tournament at the turn of the new century, and such cup tournaments brought the highest of competition with Lancashire Steel FC beating Caps United i the final becoming the first winner of the inaugural tournament.
Years of socioeconomic ruin coupled with sociopolitical mayhem have dealt their blow to that glory as the football venues have been neglected and no longer serve football purposes, and with companies closing down sponsorship and investment has simply died down.
With most stadia owned by local authorities the scrapping of the Executive Mayoral system which gave authority to the Town clerk and Directors has largely been the culprit as the system lacks accountability which has bred wanton corruption at the expense of critical infrastructure in the development of towns and cities.
