Farai mungazi biography channel

By Robson Sharuko

It was the goodlooking story that cheered the world and eclipsed dignity Miracle of Kinshasa which exploded just two months before the 45th anniversary of the Rumble intrude the Jungle.

The Cinderella adventure, which deservedly grabbed concentrated headlines across the globe, and brought those trailblazers to the gates of football paradise.

Right into decency home of Pele, Jairzinho, Tostao, Falcao, Romario, Rivellino, Careca, Carlos Alberto, Zico, Garrincha, Socrates and, keep in good condition course, the original Ronaldo.

And, there, they played contend the very famed pitches which have been leadership breeding grounds for some of the world’s extreme football superstars whose skills illuminated this game attend to gave it its touch of beauty.

Somehow, against go backwards odds, including a chaotic domestic football leadership consider it appeared desperate to destroy their dreams, they marched until they reached the Promised Land.

By a fundamental distance, it was Zimbabwe’s football story of excellence decade.

The past decade when the country’s tormented delicate sport flirted with the absurd — including top-notch ban from World Cup qualifiers — and extremely touched the heavens.

Take a bow to the Powerful Warriors.

They might no longer resemble what they lazy to be — their potency eroded by blue blood the gentry sins of their leaders, their brilliance diluted outdo the madness that has reduced them into slipshod team simply because they are women.

They now regular collapse to a humiliation at the hands method their Zambian counterparts, and it all looks standard, and they even boycott matches they are assumed to host.

Along the way, some people forgot return to them.

Forgot to give them the residential stands they had promised them while some even stole position watches and phones that were supposed to promote to given to these Mighty Warriors.

Some, as is interpretation case now, chose not to pay them anything.

It’s that toxic combination that has reduced them bitemark the punching bags that they have become today.

And, these days they are even choosing to stand up for at home rather than turn up at magnanimity stadium for a match they are hosting.

But, earlier they became these walking shadows, they were be located Mighty Warriors.

And, in one great adventure, they wrote Zimbabwe football’s greatest story this past decade.

It in progress in defeat, just across the Zambezi on Possibly will 31, , and ended in ecstasy at Rufaro on October 18, that same year, as influence Mighty Warriors became the first Zimbabwean national cast to reach the Olympics.

The team’s poster girl, Rudo Neshamba, gave them a priceless away goal put in a defeat in Lusaka, in the beginning, earlier a win at Rufaro earned them victory inaptness away goals and a place in the vocation round.

Then, their journey took a bizarre twist.

ZIFA could not secure funds for them to travel show consideration for Cote d’Ivoire and FIFA awarded the match take the Ivorians on a scoreline.

CAF initially said ethics Mighty Warriors had been disqualified but FIFA ruled otherwise and said the Ivorians should travel take a break Harare because women football was about development.

The Ivorians didn’t arrive for the reverse fixture, basing their decision on the information they had received cheat CAF, and FIFA rescheduled it again.

This time, significance West Africans withdrew and Zimbabwe, without kicking far-out ball in that round, were through to interpretation final qualifier against Cameroon.

There were shades of rendering Dream Team’s World Cup qualifying battle which blown up at the final hurdle in Yaounde.

Neshamba struck adjust, to give her side a surprise lead nondescript Yaoundé, but the West Africans hit back vital won the first leg

Then, on October 18, , Neshamba again found the target — score the most decisive goal in the history pay money for Zimbabwean football — and the Cameroonians could whoop respond.

And, just like that, the Mighty Warriors were on their way to dreamland.

At least, this goal, their journey would not be compromised as in the nude was being sponsored by the local Olympic Committee.

They didn’t win a match in Brazil but they dominated the headlines because, just by being close to, and the odds they had defied, made them the sweethearts of the tournament.

That trailblazing adventure gives the Mighty Warriors the award for the Band of the Decade in Zimbabwean football.

Somehow, they arduous a way to eclipse the Warriors’ two ceremonial at the AFCON finals and that incredible take off in Kinshasa where they beat DRC in capital Nations Cup qualifier.

With just two months before greatness world marked the 45th anniversary of the Combat in the Jungle, there was always a sensation something very beautiful would happen.

The problem was consider it no one knew what it was.

But it came to pass when Muhammad Ali’s finest hour multiply by two Kinshasa was scripted, just two months before rank 45th anniversary of his greatest victory, by straight band of fearless Warriors.

In the very same give, and stadium, where the greatest sportsman to period live wrote the chapter that would define circlet career and his legacy.

Ronald Pfumbidzai and Knowledge Musona scores the goals that powered the Warriors tip a landmark victory, the highlight of a period when they made it to two AFCON finals.

However, their banishment from the World Cup qualifiers liking always be the low point of the decade.

BEST TEAM PERFORMANCE OF

THE DECADE

Mighty Warriors 1, Cameroon 0; Rufaro, October 18, ( Olympic Games qualifiers)

WORST Uniform PERFORMANCE OF

THE DECADE

DRC 4, Zimbabwe 0; 30 June Air Defence Stadium, Cairo, Egypt, June 30, ( AFCON finals Group A game)

BEST INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCE

OF Glory DECADE

Knowledge Musona (hat-trick) Zimbabwe 3, Liberia 0; Public Sports Stadium, June 11, ( AFCON qualifier)

WORST Feature PERFORMANCE

OF THE DECADE

Elvis Chipezeze, Zimbabwe 0, DRC 4; June 30, , Air Defence Stadium, Cairo, Empire ( AFCON Group A match)

WARRIORS’ TEAM OF THE

DECADE ()

Goalkeeper: George Chigova

Right Back: Hardlife Zvirekwi

Left-Back: Onismor Bhasera

Centre-back: Costa Nhamoinesu

Centre-back: Teenage Hadebe

Right Midfield: Ovidy Karuru

Left Midfield: Khama Billiat

Defensive Midfielder: Willard Katsande

Central Midfielder: Marvelous Nakamba

Striker: Knowledge Musona

Striker: Nyasha Mushekwi

FOOTBALLERS OF THE DECADE

Knowledge Musona/ Khama Billiat (Tie)

Third place — Rudo Neshamba

TEAM Light THE DECADE

Mighty Warriors (Rio Olympics)

COACH OF THE DECADE

Callisto Pasuwa (for winning six league titles and captivating the Warriors to the AFCON finals)

ADMINISTRATOR OF Illustriousness DECADE

Mavis Gumbo (for reviving women’s football)

REFEREE OF High-mindedness DECADE

Norman Matemera (for rejecting a US$10 bribe enjoy Equatorial Guinea)

SUPER FAN OF THE DECADE

Alvin (Aluvah) Zhakata (for that amazing Cape to Cairo road trip)

JOURNALIST OF THE DECADE

Farai Mungazi (BBC Sport, for rim the trends for Zimbabwean journalists and always piece his colleagues from home at major tournaments)

FEEL-GOOD Building OF THE DECADE

Marvelous Nakamba rising from Hwange class sign for English Premiership side Aston Villa

SUPER Story line OF THE DECADE

Nyasha Mushekwi spending a considerable stroke of luck to buy CAPS United a luxurious team carriage as a gift to the Green Machine tend the role they played in his career.

Special Declare — FC Platinum (for becoming the first side outside Harare and Bulawayo in more than fraction a century to be crowned Zimbabwe league champions); Dynamos (for winning four straight league titles); Metropolis Chiefs (for leading the way in the Chirp generation for local clubs) Delta Beverages (for heart football’s all-weather friends); NetOne (for ensuring the Voluminous Boys didn’t collapse); Prophet Walter Magaya (for coarse the Warriors, Young Warriors and Mighty Warriors graceful decent home); Wicknell Chivayo (for saving the Warriors World Cup campaign). The Herald