WITH Zimbabwe hosting its 42nd Independence Celebrations from that colourful ceremony graced by legendary reggae artiste Bob Marley in 1980, Sunday News last week spoke to one of the country’s first national soccer team coaches, Paul Moyo.
Now retired after almost two decades of coaching in Botswana and resident at his Empandeni homestead, Plumtree in Matabeleland South province, Moyo described the founding national team as one of the best ever.
He said as coaches they had little headaches coming up with combinations as players were a rare crop of talented footballers.
He bemoaned the fact that most of them were already on the wrong side of their ages.
Moyo said the country’s suspension from Fifa and international football meant that they lost out on representing their country. Probably lost too were professional opportunities abroad.
Fred Mkwesha of Dynamos had in 1965 attracted Sporting de Bragga and moved to Portugal after the national team in which Moyo and the likes of Mashonaland United and later Arcadia star Titus Mugodi was part of.
A decade later Majuta Mpofu came close to being taken to Brazil by World Cup winner Jairzinho who had a stint at Kaizer Chiefs.
For Mpofu and dozens of other gems that came through the youth clubs and mine teams, international isolation meant they could just exhibit their skills on local stadia and against South African opposition as the neighbouring country was in the woods too.
“I had the honour of being appointed among the first national team coaches. It was great being recognised and also being tasked with leading the first national teams,” said 80-year-old Moyo.
Moyo could not be part of the team that won the 1980 Independence Cup contested by four nations Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia and Zimbabwe because his employers Risco (Zisco) could not release him.
But when they did later in the year, Moyo was on hand to work with a great crop of stars, idolised even to this day who include Sunday Chidzambwa, Ephraim Moloi, Charles Sibanda, Ephert Lungu, Stix M’tizwa, Shaky Tauro (late), Onias Musana (late), Joseph Zulu, Frank M’kanga, Robert Godoka and Raphael Phiri.
It was good to be back in the national team set up for Moyo 15 years later, now as a coach entrusted with defending and promoting the country’s badge on the field of play in a reconciling and independent Zimbabwe which was ready to rebuild.
“As a coach when you had the players we inherited from Rhodesia, your task was to work on combinations and just their fitness levels. They were very good players, probably the best that the world had been robbed of for a while.
It was a delight working with such great players who played with so much passion for the game and their country. They went out there to enjoy their football and in the process gave entertainment value for money to fans,” said Moyo.
The founding Warriors were so unlucky to play in an era where qualifiers for both Afcon and World Cup were strictly knockout and not groups like nowadays.
One of the misses was a 1-0 aggregate loss to Cameroon in the 1982 World Cup qualifiers. For most that was the last dance with the Warriors as in the 1986 qualifiers, a younger crop of stars like Madinda Ndlovu, Stix M’tizwa, Joel Shambo, Willard Khumalo, Moses Chubnga, Ernest Mutano, Ephraim Chawanda, Misheck Chidzambwa, Charles Chirwa and Japhet M’parutsa had moved in and confined the legends of 1980 to football scrap heap and folklore.
Moyo said the country had long missed international football. Rejoining the Fifa family was a breath of fresh air and hope for the future as an emerging crop of stars he took charge of with Shepherd Murape at the 1980 Olympics in Moscow would rule the roost for over a decade.
Some like M’parutsa and another legendary figure Madinda would even go and play abroad.
M’parutsa played for Bloemfontein Celtics in South Africa with Madinda turning out for Emsdetten in Germany, an eventuality born out of the sacrifices of thousands of gallant men and women who lost lives and limbs to liberate this country.
Of his appointment with Murape and Russia assignment Moyo described it as more of an educational trip.
“Yes, like in any competition entered, the spirit of winning is the overall goal. Ours was to go and learn as we participated on an invitation tournament and as a nation that was out of the international football family there was so much we picked up which was good for implementation on the development of the game back home,” said Moyo.
He said they had learnt a lot about physical conditioning, systems of play since the tournament had attracted teams from all over the world, team preparation including diet and game management.
“For instance prior to that tournament we cared less about diet. Players could eat a full meal of food that would not even digest quickly and easily just a few minutes before the match.
“We learnt that it was a strict No to do so and got enlightened on what players eat on match days and in their everyday lives resources permitting. For the players the Olympic tournament in simple terms opened their eyes to the international world.
“As Rhodesia we had been a closed out community in everything about life, but there was Independence, Zimbabweans getting the chance to be part of the World Family. We learnt a lot even about social cohesion and tolerance in Olympic Values where participation with a positive mindset is key,” said Moyo.
Moyo also remembers the send off speech by the country’s first leader then Prime Minister Cde Robert Mugabe who implored on the team to go out and represent with distinction which he described as his hallmark in his growth.
Zimbabwe fielded a team that had Peter Nkomo, Tapiwa Mudyambanje (late), Shaky Nyathi, Edward Katsvere (late), Stanley Ndunduma (late) and Joel Shambo (late), among others.
Zimbabwe beat Poland 3-2 and Finland 4-1 on the tour where Moyo, Obadiah Sarupinda and Murape attended several workshops that they benefitted from immensely.
Moyo himself had a glowing career for British South African Police (BSAP) where he played as a winger on both flanks with the likes of Paul Kruger would later on coach the cops side. He also had a stint with Wankie now Hwange.
“I played with the likes of James Sakala Mwape, Amos and Daniel Rendo, Sam Mutende and Bud Sibanda at Wankie,” said Moyo who guided Risco into the Rhodesia National Football League in 1977.
His crowning moment as then a young and unheralded coach was winning the 1978 Castle Cup.
“It was a moment of reckoning for me and the Midlands community. All silverware before had gone to Bulawayo, Harare, Mhangura, Wankie and St Pauls Musami, there we were as a small Midlands side standing against the tide at the top of the podium with the Castle Cup. We made it a double as we won the Under-16s title too, a team that had players who would later emerge to be top stars in the country,” said Moyo.
His senior team had Moloi whom he described as the kingpin of the side, Njabulo Zulu, Richard Manda, the legendary Bernard Zikhali, Victor Dliwayo and John Maduna.
For him to land the national team job he had impressed and the football association had seen him as a potential great investment for the future. He would not disappoint as he would go on for over 40 years producing talent in Zisco, Hwange, Botswana and his home area Plumtree where he has assisted Zifa Southern Region Division One side Mainline.
Moyo is father to Zisco legend Benedict, the late former Highlanders, FC Platinum and Chapungu coach Benjamin, BR Highlanders gaffer Blessing and goalkeeper Brian.