By Batsirai Sango.
Talent is a key aspect in almost every facet of society as with it comes development, innovation, and ultimately growth that not only brings about new opportunities but also make our lives and society better.
As the headline caption says, “Talent drought”, it is a term used to describe the shortage of skilled manpower in the job market, and in the case related to the article it is simply the shortage or absence rather of skilled potent football players in Zimbabwe and how it has led to a situation where local football has been failing to make a decent export the last 5 seasons or so.
The lack of talent has resulted in the country failing to make any meaningful football exports to the prominent leagues it can be in Europe, more especially on the continent, across the Limpopo in South Africa where many have storied success and immortality in years gone by is a cause for concern.
The South African league has always been a suitable destination for players, and teams in the South African Premier soccer league have also been forthcoming in terms of scouting for the next big thing in Zimbabwean football.
Soweto giants Kaizer Chiefs, Orlando Pirates have been among the most prominent in terms of the many different destinations Zimbabwean players have taken their football to, who among the Buccaneers Faithfuls can forget Zvenyika Makonese and his rock-solid plays at the heart of central defense or Edelbert Dinha’s masterclass at the heart of their midfield. For their nemesis Amakhosi Kaizer Chiefs who can forget “the general” as he was nicknamed Tinashe Nengomasha because of how he controlled the midfield like a general giving commands to his lieutenants, Thomas Sweswe’s gritty defense performance at the heart of central defense, Onesimo Bhasera overlapping runs at left wingback.
In the decades gone by the most notable football export the best by a lifetime from our shores, considering none have been able to replicate his exploits remains Peter Ndlovu, the first African player to play in the English Premier League, who also storied success with Pretoria giants Mamelodi Sundowns alongside compatriot Esrom Nyandoro in turn being recruited back into the teams’ structures after retirement, with countrymen Khama Billiat, Cuthbert Malajila winning the champions league in 2016.
For the Masandawana diehards who could forget the famed attacking trio that went by the letters CBD that terrorized defenses not only the Absa Premier League but also in Mamelodi Sundowns’ run to the Caf Champions League title, with Colombian Leonardo Castro, our own Khama Billiat the main protagonist alongside South African Keegan Dolly.
However, in the past half a decade seasons no players from Zimbabwe have made it into the South African premier soccer league, and a deep in talent or the unavailability of the sought after talent can best explain the situation. It’s difficult to even comprehend how Kaizer Chiefs, Orlando Pirates, and Mamelodi Sundowns have no Zimbabwean players with their ranks, it’s like Los Blancos Real Madrid, Barcelona not having a Brazilian player within their ranks.
This “talent drought” can be attributed to a number of factors chief among them the lack or absence of relevant support structures to the game of football coupled with a lot of maladministration. When Peter Ndlovu was asked whether he would one day love to coach the national team in an interview with Charles Mabika during the Castrol sponsored tour of the English Premier League trophy, he responded by mentioning how the necessary support structures need to be put in place.
The last class of notable local players was the one led by Ian Gorowa that dazzled at the CHAN tournament hosted in South Africa going all the way to the last 4, with Kuda Mahachi getting the goal of the tournament gong, with majority of the players in that squad securing moves to other leagues in the aftermath of the tournament.
From that generation of players there has not anything worth mentioning regarding football talent in the country.
There is no deliberate junior football structure in place where talent is groomed, nurtured such that there is never a situation when talent is scarce like it is now, yet the 90s era was littered with raw talent because of the structures that were there at the time. Junior football would always curtain raise big encounters and that is how the most celebrated players on our shores came to the limelight, fans would always go early to the stadium to see a young Peter Ndlovu, alongside his brother the late Adam Ndlovu, the late Benjamin Nkonjera, mesmerize and entertain when Highlanders were playing.
Structures need to be put right and having one national first division league running would be key amongst other relevant deliberate commitments, not the scenario we have of northern, southern all cardinal positions of division 1 football league running.
