FORMER Highlanders striker Mkhokheli Dube has challenged teams in the country to engage people with a technical appreciation of the sport to make decisions about coaches and clubs’ technical direction.
He commended Tawengwa Hara, the Chicken Inn FC secretary-general who attended a Caf C licence course earlier this year.
Hara said he wanted to be an administrator who would not be taken advantage of on technical issues.
“We need more such administrators like Hara who will attend courses and mix with whatever other professional grounding they have so that football benefits. With more of such people our game will improve tremendously as real football thinking will be in the board room. We have to improve on all facets of the game,” said the former Zimbabwe youth international.
He said such people can help when the club wants to engage a coach.
Dube said it has become a habit that non-technical people in football administration make decisions on matters beyond their scope.
“I have seen it a couple of times where decisions about coaches are made by the executive or board.
These are serious appointments but they must speak to the broader context of the club, its philosophy and business outlook in the future.
“Does the coach’s philosophy and that of the club meet some where? There is need for administrators to familiarise themselves with technical matters of the game so that they do not make partisan decisions on appointing coaches,” said Dube.
He said some teams are known to be scoring and attacking teams. He said they would have created that over the years and it gets to be a hallmark that any coach coming in has to carry on with the club tradition.
He lamented the fact that they are fewer goals in today’s game which is a turn off for fans.
“They come to see goals, they want creativity and that stand out player of the afternoon,” said Dube.
He said coaches tend to see some of the systems on television and want to adopt them for their own environment when they do not have players suitable for the tactics and technical approach. This he says has contributed to the drying up of goals leading to a situation where no one has managed to beat Moses Chunga’s 30 plus league goals per season since 1986.
“There are no goals, coaches are thinking about results, they are thinking about defending, they want to implement what they see on television when they do not have the players for that. During my time at Highlanders we had Siza Khoza to subtract defenders by dribbling past them while Mamba Chisoni would run with the ball and do away with opposition numbers in defence and midfield leaving us to have clearer cut chances to score.
“Some certain clubs are known to be scoring clubs thriving on creativity and flair in their game and when the crowd is up they are hard to stop. For instance Highlanders is an attacking team traditionally, all along their history they have had wingers and two strikers,” said Dube whose Zebra Revolution won the Zifa Bulawayo Province Division Two League and earned promotion to the Zifa Southern Region
Division One League.
Dube was promoted to the Highlanders first team in 1999 playing alongside talented and committed strikers like Thabani Masawi, Zenzo Moyo, Joe Kabemba, Darlington Phiri, Stewart Murisa, Eddie Dube, Eddie Nyika, Sautso Phiri and Siza Khoza.
Dube rates among the most successful footballers in Zimbabwe with titles with Highlanders in 1998/99-2002 and enjoyed success too with FC Platinum.
Initially introduced at the club as a wing player, he would later evolve to a good holding striker.
He played college football in the United States of America and graduated into the United States Major League where he starred for Michigun Bucs and England Reovultion.
Born on June 18, 1983 Dube grew up in Tshabalala and attended Mahlabezulu Primary School.
Like most of the boys in that neighbourhood who include Mandla Mpofu and Fortune Mbele he played a lot of football in the streets and at the Indlovu Youth Centre Five-a-Side Arena before impressing in Paradzai’s Mahlabezulu Primary School.
“He did well with me at my football infancy. Paradzai had a supportive headmaster in Dickson Mlilo,” said Dube.
Factfile
Club
•FC Platinum 2017- 2019
• 45 games 12 goals
Bulawayo City 2015-2017
•20 games 7 goals
Chicken Inn Fc 2013-2015
•35 games 10 goals
AmaZulu Fc 2012-2013
•10 games
Chicago Fire 2012
•N/A
New England Revolution 2008-2012
•45 Games 15 goals
Coastal Carolina 2006 -2007
•35 games 20 goals and 14 assists
Michigan Bucks 2005-2007
•40 games 26 goals and 9 assists
Delaware Dynasty 2006
•6 games 5 goals
Lindsey Wilson 2004-2005
•40 games 36 goals and 7 assists
Highlanders Fc 1999- 2004
•68 games 24 goals
National Team
Senior
2 Caps
Under-23
23 Caps 10 goals
Under-20
17 Caps 9 goals
Honors
•6 time Zimbabwean PSL champion ( 2017, 18, 19 with Fc Platinum, 2000, 01, 02 with Highlanders FC)?
•2017 , 2018 PSL Challenge Cup Winner
•2013 Netone Charity Cup winner (Chicken Inn Fc)
•2008 Superliga Cup Winner (New England Revolution)
•2006 PDL Champion (Michigan Bucks )
•2005 NAIA Champions ( Lindsey Wilson)
•2001 and 2002 Vodacom Under 20 tournament winner (Zimbabwe under 20)
•2002 Independence trophy winner ( Highlanders FC)
•2000 Zifa Cup winner ( Highlanders FC)
Personal
• Inducted in Michigan Bucks Hall of Fame 2010
•2009 New England Revolution Top goal scorer and assist winner
•2008 Rookie of the year finalist( MLS)
•Big South Player of the year 2007 ( Coastal Carolina
•Big South 1st team of the year 2007
•A record 4 time player of the week 2007
•2006 Big South All tournament team
•2006 Big Sough 1st team selection
•Adidas NCCA South Atlantic All Region team
•2005 Michigan Bucks top scorer
•2004 NCCA Adidas men Region XI
•2002 Highlanders FC top scorer
Coaching Qualifications
•BFut Level 4 (Brazilian Futball)
•CAF C
•Level 3 Zimbabwe
Coaching Experience
2015- Present
•Zebra Revolution Director of Coaching
?3 tournament title ( 2 Fokoza invitational tournament 2017 and 18 , Young Flying stars Tournament